Dark Crystals
by Dark Sari
Summary: Part III of the Labyrinth Chronicles is complete. Something is amiss in the Underground again. Jareth goes to Chantal for help, but there is another problem, he can't find Stephanie. Where could she be? And what has happened in the Underground that he wou
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: We do not own Labyrinth nor any of the characters of Labyrinth. They are the property of Jim Henson and any others involved with the movie. The same goes for other character, places, things etc, from other shows, movies or books. We do not own them so please do not sue. However, new characters and places within the Underground and evolution of the Goblin King are ours. The content of our fanfiction is written with a mature audience in mind.  
Comments are welcome, enjoy!!  
  
Prologue  
  
In a dark place unknown, a figure stared blankly as if in a daze, unmoving. A moment later, it began to move, much like a sleepwalker, yet the arms weren't extended forward, instead they rested at the sides of the body. The figure moved slowly forward, being drawn by something unseen in the darkness.  
  
The figure walked around slowly, occasionally stumbling in the pitch of black.  
  
Suddenly the shadowy figure stopped and bent down to pick something up. The figure lowered its head, hiding its shadowy face. A gust of strong cold air came from nowhere and blew around the figure, causing their clothing and long hair to move wildly around.  
  
The figure lifted its face and smiled maliciously, glowing red crimson eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
In a flash of blinding white light, the figure was gone. 


	2. Bad Day! Actual chapter one

Chapter One: Bad Day!  
  
Chantal twirled her led pencil as she sat in class at the end of the long round table, which sat in the middle of the Graphics classroom. She blinked, trying to stay awake for the lecture that was being given. It was rare for her teacher to give a lecture on a Friday, especially for the last hour of the three-hour class. They usually only had the three hours to work on any projects they where currently doing.  
  
She sighed as the lecture continued; the piece of paper in front of her was full of little scribbles and drawings.  
  
School is almost over, she told herself. This morning hadn't been going that great for the twenty-one year old. She had forgotten her assignments at home, the computers had been hanging up on her, and she lost some of the work she had been working on. Her pink highlighter broke in her pencil case and made a mess all over her hands when she pulled out a pen.  
  
Chantal looked at her watch: 11:10am.  
  
"About ten more minutes, almost home time," Chantal said to herself. She was so glad she only had morning classes on Fridays. She then looked up at her teacher, who seemed to be starting to wrap the lecture up. Something then caught her attention at the window, at the end of the room. A white barn owl landed on the ledge and looked through the window,  
  
"Jareth," she breathed. She shook her head. "No, can't be. It's just my imagination."  
  
She closed her eyes and rubbed them, she looked down at the piece of paper in front of her, afraid to look back at the window.  
  
She then heard tapping; she dared a look back at the window.  
  
The bird was still there. Nobody else in the room seemed to notice it. As she stared at the owl, it stared back; a shiver ran down her spine and she dropped her pencil to the table.  
  
"Oh no. This day just can't get any worse," she groaned. Two of her classmates looked over at her with puzzled looks on their faces.  
  
"I'm out of led," she said holding up her pencil. They turned away and looked back at the teacher.  
  
Chantal looked back at Jareth. "Five minutes!" she mouthed to him, holding up her right hand, all five fingers extended. The owl nodded.  
  
Five minutes ticked by slowly, but eventually class time was up and the teacher brought the lecture to a stop and dismissed the class. Everybody packed up their books and left the classroom. Chantal stayed behind, waiting until everybody was gone.  
  
Once everybody left, she closed the door. When she turned around, she found Jareth leaning against the long table in the middle of the room.  
  
"Not you again," Chantal groaned. It had been nine months since she had last seen Jareth, and it was because he had needed her help. "You know that you just made my day even worse."  
  
"It couldn't be any worse than my day," Jareth countered.  
  
"Goblins harassing you?" Chantal asked.  
  
"Worse. I can't get into the castle," Jareth told her, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Again? What happened this time?" Chantal asked.  
  
"I do not know." Jareth said truthfully, a hit of worry in his voice. "Could it be your friend again?"  
  
"I don't know. I can check," the twenty-one year old said as she walked up to the computers that were located to the right of the room. She moved the mouse to get the screen saver on the computer to stop. She was already logged into the machine from earlier that morning. Chantal moved the mouse to the task bar and double clicked the little MSN icon, opening the program; she then logged in.  
  
"He's usually on at this time of day," she told the Goblin King as MSN connected. She looked at the computer screen and saw that Paul, ruler of the Labyrinth for a day, was indeed online. She double clicked his nickname: 'Dark Archon' and sent him a message.  
  
Chan: -poke-  
Dark Archon: -pounce-  
Chan: Ack! What are you up to?  
Dark Archon: Not much. Was about to go play a game.  
Chan: Cool. I just wanted to say hi. Guess I'll talk to you later.  
Dark Archon: Alrighty!  
Chan: Bye!  
Dark Archon: Bye!  
  
Jareth leaned over Chantal's shoulder and stared at the monitor and Chantal closed the conversation.  
  
"Well it's not him," Chantal told him. Jareth frowned then started to pace back and forth, a worried expression on his face.  
  
"What? What is it?" Chantal asked starting to get worried.  
  
"I cannot find Stephanie," He blurted out.  
  
"What?" Chantal asked, not believing.  
  
"I looked everywhere. I can't find her," Jareth replied. Chantal shook her head. "This day is just going from bad to worse."  
  
Jareth walked over to the round table in the middle of the room and leaned over, looking over Chantal's notes. "Weren't you supposed to be paying attention to the lesson?"  
  
Chantal rushed over and stuffed the papers into her binder. She smiled innocently at him. "I was! I just tend to doodle as I listen to the teacher."  
  
Jareth looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not really believing the girl.  
  
Chantal glared at him then grabbed her pencil and pens and placed them in her pencil case. She wondered where Stephanie could be that would prevent Jareth from finding her. A lot of things had happened in the last nine months since she had been to the Underground. Chantal had finished school and graduated from College, summer had come and gone, Chantal had worked most of the summer to make money to return to school in the fall, and Stephanie had moved south to go to school. Chantal paused.  
  
She spun around to look at Jareth.  
  
"What?" he asked staring at her.  
  
"You do know that Steph is gone down south to school, right?" she asked him.  
  
"Of course," Jareth replied. Chantal nodded and began to think again. She stopped and looked at Jareth suspiciously.  
  
"How did you know Steph was down south? We haven't seen you for nine months," Chantal asked seriously.  
  
"I just do."  
  
"Are you stalking her?" she asked accusingly.  
  
"Of course not!" Jareth snapped. "Who do you think I am?"  
  
"If you aren't stalking her, then how did you know where she was?" she asked, hands on her hips.  
  
"It is hard to explain. I can feel her presence and I just know, sometimes even where she is located," he explained, not really in the mood to argue.  
  
"Stalker!" Chantal accused teasingly. He gave her an odd sideways look.  
  
"Alright! Alright! So you can't 'feel' her presence anywhere?"  
  
Jareth shook his head.  
  
"This is definitely not good," Chantal said leaning up against the table. "Maybe she just learned to hide from you because she thought you were stalking her."  
  
"Enough with the stalking!" Jareth snapped.  
  
"Fine!" Chantal said throwing her hands up in the air. "It's just creeping me out. Can you 'feel' my presence as well?"  
  
"That is not important."  
  
"Gah!" Chantal exclaimed, taking that as a yes.  
  
"Calm down! I'm not a peeping Tom," he groaned.  
  
"You better not be," Chantal said as she turned to place her things in her bag. Once she zipped her bag closed, she turned towards the door, her back to Jareth. "Could you maybe, um, disguise yourself to look, um, 'normal'? A guy in medieval like clothing and long hair just might attract unwanted attention."  
  
As Chantal turned back to look at Jareth, she saw that he had already changed his appearance. He now had short, half spiky hair, he wore dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt.  
  
"Better?" he asked.  
  
Chantal smiled. "Much!"  
  
She walked out of the classroom, closing the door behind her, then walked down the hall to her locker, with Jareth following behind her. Chantal opened her locker and shoved her binder in, then grabbed one of the books and placed it in her school bag. She was glad she had Friday afternoons free. Chantal closed her locker, then continued down the hall.  
  
"Where are you going now?" Jareth asked, walking after her.  
  
"To my dad's office to leave him a note to tell him a friend gave me a ride home," she told him as she slowed down to let him catch up. Chantal's father was the head of the CS department, and had been one of her teachers the year before.  
  
They turned right, around a corner and down another hallway and into an office. Chantal walked in and to her right saw one of the teachers busily preparing for her next class. She walked passed into the office a bit further and turned to her right and through another door into her father's small office. Grabbing a pen, a piece of paper, then scribbling a short note leaving it in the middle of the desk, ensuring that it will be seen.  
  
Chantal then turned to Jareth.  
  
"Done! Now all I need to do is go home to get rid of my bag and to get a few things," she told Jareth as she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the CS office and down the hall a ways.  
  
Jareth stopped. "Ready?"  
  
Chantal nodded. She knew her mother wouldn't be home and therefore was safe to teleport right into the house.  
  
Jareth smiled and a moment later they appeared in Chantal's bedroom. Chantal laughed as she realized this was the only room in her house he probably knew, and then she grinned at the mess on the floor. She proceeded to drop her bag on her unmade bed, then to leave the room.  
  
"Are you coming?" She called after the Goblin King. Jareth followed her out the room and downstairs.  
  
Once downstairs, Chantal located a piece of paper and wrote a note to her mother informing that a classmate needed help with his computer and she was going over to his place to help. She also wrote down that she would probably be home about five or six giving her enough time to solve the Labyrinth puzzle once again.  
  
Jaycie, Chantal's part black lab dog, approached Jareth and started staring at him. She then began to whine at him and tried to jump up to see his face better.  
  
"What is the matter with your dog?" Jareth asked, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
"She probably recognizes your smell but you don't look the same as you did last time you were here," Chantal told him as she left the note on the kitchen table. Chantal laughed as Jareth changed back to his normal appearance. He smiled down at Jaycie, sharp canines showing.  
  
"Boo!" he said.  
  
Jaycie jumped back then began to whine even more, this time in a different tone. Chantal laughed.  
  
"She's giving you shit now for hiding your true appearance," she told him before he could ask. Jareth only raised an eyebrow.  
  
Chantal took hold of her dog's collar and led her towards the door. She opened the door, grabbed the dog chain, tied Jaycie up and left her outside.  
  
"Now just let me grab a few things then we can get going," Chantal told the Goblin King as she walked towards the kitchen to fill up a water bottle.  
  
About ten minutes later, Chantal had all her things she wanted packed and was ready to go. All she needed was Serek, her little purple dragon that she had found from her first adventure in the Underground.  
  
Chantal opened the door, ran outside to the backyard and called out to him.  
  
"Squeeee!" came a response from the trees. Suddenly a dark purple object glided down and landed on Chantal's shoulder, wrapping his long fuzzy tail around her neck. His orange eyes whirled with excitement.  
  
"Hey boy! Ready for another misadventure?" Chantal asked him.  
  
"Squeeee!" Serek replied.  
  
Chantal returned to the house, after letting Jaycie in and locking the door, she turned to Jareth. "Let's go!"  
  
Jareth smiled as he rested a hand on her shoulder; a moment later, they blinked out of sight. 


	3. The Promise

Chapter Two: The Promise  
  
Shocked expressions were on the features of the Goblin King and the twenty-year old girl when they reached the Underground. They stood outside the outer walls of the Labyrinth, upon a wind swept small hill.  
  
Chantal's mouth was open, she was unable to speak as Jareth's eyes widened, his lips parted.  
  
The sky was grim, purple like streaks colored it. Lightning streaked across the sky, making the dark castle look menacing, including the now foreboding Labyrinth.  
  
Thunder rumbled, yet no rain fell. The eerie silence of the Underground was making the two of them uneasy, you'd swear you could hear a snail blink, or rather, a certain worm. Something was obviously wrong in the Goblin King's realm.  
  
Chantal gasped. "I didn't expect it to be like this."  
  
"It was not like this when I left," Jareth said, shaking his head. A chill went up Chantal's spine suddenly, causing her to shiver. Serek chirped uneasily.  
  
"I don't like this at all," she said, shaking her head in turn. Serek chirped in agreement. "Do you think she's all right?"  
  
"I'm sure Stephanie is fine. She can take care of herself," he reassured Chantal. "We should get going, shouldn't we?" the Goblin King said, staring at the castle. "Hopefully we can find Stephanie."  
  
He started towards the Labyrinth and down the small hill, his long, dark coat billowing with the small wind and his movements.  
  
Chantal paused before following him and stared at the castle in the distance. She dreaded the idea of having to cross the Labyrinth again for a third time. If only they had a shortcut.  
  
"A shortcut?" she said aloud to herself.  
  
"What?" Jareth asked, turning around, assuming she had spoken to him.  
  
"Jareth, do you remember that promise you made the last time I was here? About the shortcut?" she asked as she came up beside him, gripping her bag.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to keep that promise now, did you?"  
  
Jareth gave Chantal a half cold stare and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh come now Chantal, I am a man of my word,"  
  
"So you did make it?" Chantal said smiling.  
  
"Uh...sort of..." the Goblin King trailed off.  
  
"What do you mean 'sort of'? You either made it or you didn't. Which one is it?"  
  
"Well, it is created, it just hasn't finished," Jareth told her with an embarrassed grin.  
  
Chantal nearly collapsed to the ground. "Any good news for me?"  
  
"Well, the shortcut started at the castle, it just hasn't reached the Labyrinth's outer walls yet,"  
  
Chantal's eyes lit up. "So how long will it take us to get to the shortcut?"  
  
"About an hour or so," Jareth replied.  
  
"Well, let's get moving then!" Chantal said as she grabbed the Goblin King's arm and pulled him towards the Labyrinth's tall outer walls.  
  
Jareth stopped a few feet from the entrance as though something prevented him from going any further; or rather he sensed something wrong.  
  
"What is it?" Chantal asked, confusion on her face.  
  
"Nothing," Jareth replied, his greenish blue eyes searching. "Perhaps I'm just uneasy about the whole situation, the Underground, taken again and Stephanie gone missing," he finally shrugged.  
  
"It's nothing," he gestured for them to continue.  
  
Chantal stared at the Goblin King, her eyes narrowed in thought. She took a step towards the familiar, large black entrance. She remembered her first time to the Labyrinth, Stephanie had reached out to either push the doors or find a way to open them, when they had opened by themselves. As she neared, the doors remained closed.  
  
Chantal struggled to open them. She pushed with all her strenght, as Jareth stood there, waiting. She then tried to find a way to pull but there were no handles to make her task easier.  
  
"Gods! Ever heard of handles?!" she glared at the Goblin King, who only shrugged, a little annoyed that she was blaming him for anything that happens in the Labyrinth.  
  
He let out an irritated sigh and grabbed the doors, since there were no handles as Chantal pointed out; there were carvings, deep enough to grip, that she had not noticed as something useful. He pulled the thick doors open in one swift movement as though the doors were not actually heavy at all.  
  
Nothing seemed out of place, he didn't sense any danger. He motioned to Chantal to wait before she should enter the Labyrinth. She stopped near the entrance, Serek squeaked as he toyed with her necklaces.  
  
All seemed well as he stepped between the thick, large doors. He took a step forward, into the first corridor of the Labyrinth.  
  
Something stopped him or rather, pushed him away and he was thrown back. He landed on his butt, tumbled backwards and slid across the ground. Dust, sand and any other elements of the Labyrinth that were lying around, swirled around him. He was on his stomach when the dust settled, his right palm at his cheek, the other, tapping his fingers on the ground. His eyes narrowed at the entrance, his face expressionless.  
  
That meant one thing to Chantal; the Goblin King was not pleased.  
  
Jareth's dark clothes were covered in light brown sand. He got up and brushed the best he can of the realm's elements off his coat and pants. He shook his head and dust sprinkled around him.  
  
"Are you al–" Chantal started.  
  
"I'm fine!" Jareth snapped as he passed her, his footsteps were deeply imprinted in the sand. Serek chirped as he climbed onto Chantal's head, he watched as the Goblin King stormed towards the entrance.  
  
Jareth stood before the open entrance and held out a hand. Barely a second passed before a crystal appeared. With one arm over his chest, he tossed the crystal in the air and caught it, contemplating how to pass the force field. He did this several times while he pondered. An idea came to him suddenly. He gripped the crystal he had caught and white lightning emerged inside the crystal.  
  
As soon as Chantal saw the lightning, she took a few steps backwards, backing away from the Goblin King. The lightning crackled and he threw the crystal towards the entrance and it made contact with the invisible force field. Light shimmered, crackled and vanished.  
  
Chantal blinked as she watched the force field shimmer. She turned to Jareth. "Is it safe?"  
  
Jareth stared at the entrance. "I believe it is, yes."  
  
"Just to be sure..." Chantal trailed off as she bent down to pick up a small rock from the ground and she threw it at the entrance. The rock passed through harmlessly. The Goblin King slowly walked passed the two large doors. Chantal quickly followed behind.  
  
Jareth looked both ways of the first corridor; he paused then turned, starting down the right corridor. Jareth stopped and turned around to look at Chantal. "Are you coming?"  
  
Chantal quickened her pace to catch up to him. "Well if you didn't rush off without me," Chantal told him as she pulled a leaf off his jacket.  
  
"I did not see what you were waiting for," he replied.  
  
Chantal didn't answer him, she just continued on down the corridor.  
  
The constant flash of lightning and the dark clouds persisting thunderous roar was making the Goblin King uneasy. Chantal looked up at the dark clouds overhead and a shiver ran down her spine.  
  
"I don't like it here this time at all," she muttered. Serek squeaked in agreement.  
  
"You sense it as well, do you?" he said seriously without facing her. He had placed his hands behind his back.  
  
Chantal nodded. "Yes, I do."  
  
"Have you noticed that it's strangely quiet as well?" he asked. "The goblins have run off further in the Underground or have locked themselves in their homes."  
  
Chantal's eyes grew wide. "This really can't be good if the goblins are hiding," she said worriedly as she gripped the anchor like pendent on her necklace that her boyfriend had given her.  
  
"It's gotten worse now. There was a commotion earlier at the other side of the Labyrinth, and I went to see what the problem was. I handled the situation but I had sensed something was still wrong." he shook his head. "I should have known it sooner. I had woken up with a bad feeling and it did not go away." He was silent for a moment.  
  
Chantal rested a hand on Jareth's arm. "We'll get through this, some way, somehow," Chantal told him.  
  
Jareth nodded, yet he wondered if it was the possibility of a past enemy.  
  
Lightning flashed and was followed by a loud thunderous clap. It broke the Goblin King's thoughts. He glanced up at the dark clouds to see another flash of lightning, lighting the strange colored sky.  
  
Looking up at the sky, Chantal sighed. "Is it just going to tease us, pretending it's going to rain?"  
  
His eyes searched the sky. "I do not think so, though I could be wrong." Jareth turned to Chantal and smiled.  
  
"I hope not, that is the last thing I need, a trek though the Labyrinth while being soaking wet," Chantal said with another sigh.  
  
"Oh come now, a little rain never hurt anyone." he smirked as he walked into another corridor. At least not all of Jareth's humor was gone.  
  
Chantal gave Jareth an evil look and poked him in the ribs.  
  
He winced.  
  
He then passed a group of Lichen that was shuddering against the wall they grew upon. The several eyes blinked curiously at Jareth and proceeded to speak to each other in hushed tones.  
  
Chantal fell behind Jareth as he walked on down the corridor. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. Serek let out a low squeak and rubbed his head against her cheek reassuringly. Chantal reached up and petted the little dragon's head. 


	4. And Hardships Unnumbered

Chapter Three: Jabberwocky  
  
Jareth seem to know which direction to go, moving easily throughout the Labyrinth. His long legs making him move quickly. A few times he had to slow down for Chantal to catch up.  
  
He stopped suddenly, causing the girl to bump into him.  
  
"Hmm, it has changed," he said.  
  
"What has changed?" Chantal asked him, trying to look around him to see what he might be seeing.  
  
"The Labyrinth has changed." he replied, scanning the area. "We are further away from the shortcut."  
  
"That's not good. What are we to do now?" Chantal asked him.  
  
"We continue towards the castle as planned," he replied as he concentrated in choosing a direction. "This way," he said after a moment as he started off again.  
  
"And who is to say it's not going to keep changing every time we try and get close to it?" Chantal asked and she started to follow.  
  
"Perhaps you are right, but we do not have any other way really," he said trailing off.  
  
"Then let's go and hope the Labyrinth is acting normally in its changes, and not being manipulated to hinder us," Chantal said as she came up beside the Goblin King. Serek sat on her shoulder, quiet as always, playing with her necklace.  
  
The Goblin King nodded and continued silently down the corridor. It was silent as time elapsed, except for the constant sound of their footsteps on the stone ground.  
  
Chantal followed Jareth, lost in thought. She wondered what had happened here and who was powerful enough to take to take over the whole of the Underground. From what she had seen so far, this was no amateur with a little bit of power. She looked up at the sky and shook her head. Definitely not, especially if the person could control a storm like that.  
  
"We are getting near now. After the next turn, we will be on the path leading to the shortcut and it will not be long before we shall reach the castle." Jareth said, his deep voice penetrating the silence.  
  
Chantal looked up ahead of her, but said nothing.  
  
Jareth turned the corner and vanished from sight, his long coat brushing slightly upon the stone wall. Chantal snapped out of her thoughts as Jareth vanished. She quickened her pace and rounded the corner to try and catch up, not wanting to be left behind.  
  
The Goblin King had stopped in his tracks and shifted his weight to one side.  
  
Chantal came up behind him and stopped. "What is it?"  
  
Jareth said nothing and crossed his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes, another not pleased expression on his handsome features.  
  
Chantal was tempted to ask again, but she knew this was not a good time to bug him. She really wanted to know what was going on, but she would just have to wait to find out.  
  
His hand gestured for her to look ahead, his features not changing.  
  
Chantal looked around Jareth and up ahead, and sighed. "A dead end. This is starting to get really annoying."  
  
"Indeed. Especially if the way we came through is gone as well." Jareth said, opening his eyes without turning back and glanced over his shoulder to look at Chantal.  
  
"So what are we to do now?" the girl asked as she kicked the ground, standing beside Jareth.  
  
Now that they were boxed in, he took a few steps forward and glanced at Chantal as he passed her.  
  
"How are you with puzzles?" The Goblin King asked.  
  
"It all depends on the puzzle I guess," She replied as she looked around her.  
  
He nodded. "It would seem that in order to continue, we have a puzzle to solve."  
  
"What is it with this place and puzzles?" Chantal said with a groan. Jareth who had no reply, only shrugged.  
  
"I believe it challenges the traveler," he said after a few a moment.  
  
"Slow them down you mean," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Well let's figure out what this puzzle is and how to solve it so we can be on our way."  
  
"Distractions really," said the fair-haired man who proceeded to unfold his arms, replying to her comment. "Or a way to find solving abilities you've never had before." He walked away from the girl and stood a few feet away and opposite of her, nearly about to fold his arms again in contemplation but stopped himself and stared at the ground before him.  
  
"Behold our puzzle," he said mirthlessly.  
  
On the stone floor, inches from Jareth's feet were spaces or rather square shaped stones. The blocks were placed in an odd version of a checkerboard, they didn't stick up from the ground instead they were built in the stone floor itself. There were thirteen spaces, each perfectly squared compared to the rest of the stone brick network making the corridor floors. Twelve of them had a symbol carved upon them, which were on the darker stones, almost a deep brown sandy color. The thirteenth was situated in the center of the board, centered directly in the middle of the floor of the boxed room. Vines were etched around a window like crystal; it was flat and shone slightly with the flashes of lightning that continued to dangerously appear.  
  
Jareth started to pace in front of the edge of the so-called board. The crystal was opaque yet it was clear, so much in fact, that Jareth could not see what was on the other side, when he lightly leaned over to inspect. His eyes narrowed in thought as he returned to the symbols, his eyes looked over each deeply carved markings. Beneath each symbol were even more strange carvings, they looked less then symbols, those that formed words. They were not English however.  
  
"What does the symbols and the markings mean?" Chantal asked the Goblin King.  
  
"I can't really quite say. I am trying to figure it out but it is all jumbled, I don't quite understand the scripture, but it is in the ancient tongue of this realm, I can read it and speak it, but it does not make any sense to me. However, the symbols I do understand, but they are not in order. I believe that is our goal: arrange the order of the riddle in order to solve this puzzle and perhaps it will lead us to our exit." the Goblin King folded one arm over his chest, leaning the other one on it, holding his chin in thought as his eyes glanced over the board.  
  
'How,' he thought, 'does one solve the problem at hand. How to place it in order?'  
  
"First we'll try the symbols and see where it leads us to." he mused. "Once we solve that portion, perhaps the scripture will make more sense."  
  
At closer inspection, grooves along the squares were shown wider and deeper which was a slight difference compared to the rest of the stones. Jareth bent down to closer inspect the board, he had an elbow propped up on his leg again holding his chin in thought, while the other rested on the other leg. He tilted his head to one side and with one hand gently pushed on a square in front of him, the one nearest to his foot.  
  
Jareth raised an eyebrow as the square caved in the board barely an inch and replaced itself when he removed his hand. He nodded. His eyes ran over the symbols again and he instructed Chantal to step onto one of the stones as he figured out the order of the next phrase. She moved to the next square as he instructed; as she left the stones that she had stepped on, they would return back in place with a soft click.  
  
"Hmm," Jareth mused as he crossed his arm over his chest after the fourth word.  
  
"What?" Chantal asked, stopping upon the fifth square.  
  
"Something is not right. I would have thought that the squares would stay in place after stepping on them for less confusion, or to show that we are at least, doing this right." His dark eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I am sure that the crystal at the center has some other means than a way out."  
  
He made his way towards the center square. Stepping over a darker colored one, he then placed his feet on opposite corners belonging to the center stone, so that he was not standing on top of the crystal. He then slightly hunched over and tapped the crystal like sphere with a gloveless finger. It was solid, like one of his usual crystals. He wondered if it could be broken like a mere pane of glass, if there were no other means of escaping this wretched puzzle. He eventually stood straight after squinting through the glass again, only to see nothing more than a few minutes ago.  
  
"Unless..." he said his thoughts aloud, stepping onto the center and placing a foot on opposite sides of the sphere. A light click was heard as the stone around the sphere slowly caved in along with the sphere, just as the others did before. He nodded as though the click had answered his questions. He then gestured for Chantal to step onto the first symbol he had told her previously. The same click was heard as before and he then stepped off. The stone clicked and returned to its previous state.  
  
"Hmm, I see." He muttered and stepped onto the center square again. "I believe that if I remain on this one while you continue to finish the puzzle, it might open our doorway."  
  
The Goblin King continued to direct Chantal to the proper stones as she went to the next ones, the stones she stepped on remained caved into the floor. He nodded satisfied that things were going well, that is, until Chantal stepped on the wrong stone. 


	5. Jabberwocky

Chapter Four: And Hardships Unnumbered

* * *

A series of clicks was heard and it was unusual from the normal sound they grew accustomed to, it continued to pass under the whole of the board.  
Jareth look over his shoulder to Chantal; a look of question and alarm came across his features. It was silent for barely a moment, just enough to raise questions before one of the squares started to flip over. Jareth had seen it from the corner of his eye, revealing a blank underside.  
  
The Goblin King swore under his breath at the hidden piece just as the other blocks flipped over in turn, one after another, they flipped over and passed him in a domino like fashion, to the other side of the board until not one symbol was seen. The only piece that hadn't moved was the one he still stood upon.  
  
'Now what?' he thought. He expected a trap door to open and swallow him down into a dark abyss. That didn't happen unfortunately, instead he received a jolt of energy of some sort. It was like an electrical shock, painful for a moment and that was it. He grunted and almost lost his balance. He felt his hair, making sure it didn't surpass the usual spikeyness and turned around to glare at Chantal, demanding to know what had happened.  
  
Without saying a word, Chantal apologized several times, trying to move away from the glare he placed upon her.  
  
"The symbols all look the same!" she complained at last.  
  
"Yes, well..." he trailed off. "I hope in the future you shall be more careful and pay attention." He held his anger in check.  
  
"Now then, I wonder if we can resume or at least restart this puzzle." he said, as though asking the board itself.  
  
Nothing. No answer whatsoever. The stones remained blank.  
  
Jareth let out a frustrated sigh and muttered: "Perfect."  
  
He walked off the crystal's space with another sigh. The series of clicks suddenly returned and he looked back to see that all the symbols reappeared. Perhaps a hint of a smile appeared on the Goblin King's features at this situation.  
  
"It seems that we have another chance at this." He said to Chantal. "Are you ready?"  
  
"Yes." She replied with a nod. She quickly returned to the first square as Jareth resumed his position at the center of the board. Carefully, Chantal stepped onto each spaces that Jareth had indicated, asking for the proper one, lest the stones flip over for good this time.  
  
As soon as she stepped on the last and correct one, the stones flipped over, however the crystal turned around at an 180o degree angle, with Jareth still on it so he now stood facing the girl.  
  
The clicks stopped and it was silent.  
  
A message appeared within the crystal beneath the Goblin King's feet, the crystal was filled with grayish purple mist and the writing was an odd shade of black.  
  
"Look!" Chantal pointed and lightly pushed him off the crystal without warning, certain and hoping that his weight off the crystal would not restart the puzzle.  
  
"'The answer you seek, This you'll need, Take heed, Time is essential.'" Chantal read aloud, the symbols were translated into English. Jareth held his chin in thought as he looked down at the crystal.  
  
"Time is essential…"  
  
"This you'll need… there must be something that we'll need in order to get out perhaps?" Jareth mused.  
  
"Time…essential…need." Chantal thought over aloud. After a moment, she replied what her answer was: "A clock?"  
  
No shifts of the walls showed that she was correct. The globe however clouded over with the strange mist before scripture appeared.  
  
Chantal turned to the Goblin King when she saw that it was written in the King's tongue. "What does it say?"  
  
"Even in order it does not make any sense." said Jareth with a hint of annoyance in his deep voice as the second sentence came clearer in the mist.  
  
"Well read what it says anyway." Chantal persisted. He cleared his throat and reluctantly said the new verse.  
  
"'Twas brilig and the slithy toves, did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsy were borogoves, and the mome raths outgabe.'" He had one eyebrow raised all throughout reading the strange phrase. "I do not see how it even relates to the riddle nor the situation at hand." He said almost exasperated.  
  
"'Twas brilig…" Chantal repeated the odd little quote, it seemed very familiar to her somehow.  
  
A memory of her friend appeared in her mind, long before Stephanie had left for college. It had been during a day, spent just hanging out. Stephanie had been humming a strange tune to herself and had turned to Chantal, quoting from her favorite poem: "Jabberwocky", the same quote that had appeared in the strange puzzle. Stephanie had giggled at her friend's confused expression. The memory faded at Stephanie's amused expression.  
  
"It's from that poem!" Chantal exclaimed. "Steph used to say it all the time. I remember it now."  
  
"Strange girl," Jareth commented with his usual raised eyebrow.  
  
"You know Steph, it wouldn't be the same if she was actually—"  
  
"Normal?" Jareth finished with a half chuckle. "I suppose not." He then became serious. "But I wonder why this was in the old tongue. Hell, it doesn't even make sense in English to begin with."  
  
Chantal only shrugged.  
  
"And I don't understand the concept of the phrase in this puzzle although I believe it gave us a hint that the girl is in fact in the Labyrinth or at least within this realm. Her presence is very faint now that we've mentioned her once again."  
  
The spaces had flipped over when the Goblin King had read aloud the verse and had flipped in the opposite direction. The section of the wall, opposite their entrance, had opened with nothing more than a slight scrapping sound. A straight corridor could be seen for a few feet before it led to a dead end, but the path split in two direction: left and right; in a T pattern.  
  
"Finally," Chantal breathed as she quickly started down the newfound corridor. She passed by large horizontal slots etched along the walls around waist high; and stepped onto a loose grey stone, which was obvious a contrast.  
  
"Hey! Wait!" Jareth rushed after her, trying to stop the girl.  
  
It was already too late. They were already halfway through the corridor before he realized that the trap had started behind them. Large blades sprung from circular wheel from the slots. The sound of mechanical whirring could be heard within the wall.  
  
'At least we can outrun it.' he thought. He frowned afterwards when more blades appeared on the opposite wall, further down the path. "Bloody Hell..." he muttered.  
  
"Jareth," Chantal started as she took a step backward. The blades behind them started to spin with a horrible screech like what an electric saw sounded like. It was less frightening than the creatures they had encountered in their last adventure.  
  
"Run!" he shouted over the noise of the blades as he shoved her to quickly move her pace. She started to break into a run, the other wheel had not started perhaps not until passing a certain point or so she thought, the opposite blades had started to spin a moment after the others, spinning in the opposite direction.  
  
Chantal gasped. The Goblin King pushed her roughly forward, she landed with a bruising thud and he shouted for her to lie still and flat against the ground. The blades neared each other and he had no way to duck in time without getting an injury, he ran down the rest of the path towards the other blades.  
  
Chantal screamed, her eyes shut tightly as the large blade passed overhead.  
  
Jareth placed one hand to the ground, pushed himself to do a one handed cartwheel, over the blade, he slightly got his cloak caught, the sound of cloth tearing was barely hear at all over the screeching; he landed on his feet, back flipped over another, landed again but made himself tumble onto his back, barely escaping the crossing blades. He felt the air of the swirling blades upon his face. The circular traps finished passing over each other at the middle and started going back, returning to their proper slots.  
  
He released his breath which he had been holding and in the sudden silence called out to Chantal, asking if she was all right.  
  
"Yes..." she barely said over a whisper. "I- I'm fine. My god that was close..." she replied, still lying on her stomach, unsure whether to move again.  
  
Jareth had sat up and was now on his feet and headed towards Chantal, he had worried if she was indeed all right, he had barely heard her answer. He stepped in front of her to show that it was safe. He held out a hand to help her up.  
  
"I believe this trap is over but just in case, let us not linger." He quickly led the way and indicated to her not to step onto the grey stones. He had noticed that there were several. Chantal followed the Goblin King in the exact same footsteps to make good and sure that the massive blades would not appear again. They've finally made their way to the dead end and she never thought she would be so glad as to reach one.  
  
Now there was only to choose a way to continue towards his castle.  
  
The Goblin King quickly turned right, he wanted to reach his castle before his shortcut ends up further or worse, disappears; before his powers starts to wan, before his sense of the right path vanishes and before it was too late and the Underground is forever at the mercy of the one who is now controlling the realm. 


	6. Beneath the Surface

Chapter Five: Beneath the Surface

* * *

Branches crunched beneath boot and running shoe clad feet. The Goblin King and the girl had to step over several boulders and fallen tree limbs, with sometimes with no tree in sight.  
  
Chantal wondered why the Labyrinth was always cluttered with broken tree branches everywhere and other debris that had fallen off the walls and from who knows what. Strange plants grew in cracks along the walls, Lichen, as she knew now what they were called; or as weeds along the ground in several corridors.  
  
Stephanie knew about certain things and rules in the Labyrinth, due to her knowledge based on the book and movie she acquired, but she now had the expert next to her; if he was willing to answer her questions. She managed to ask the ruler about the decaying state of his realm and if it was due to the new sovereign.  
  
"They are not ruler yet." He almost snapped. "But no, the Labyrinth is ever changing. Always. It continues to shift, becoming more challenging for the one who traverses within it. That is why there is debris; it shifts so much, elements, trees and plants barely have the chance to adapt quickly enough to the change." He replied without slowing his pace.  
  
"Not all of my realm is like this or in this form of state. Sections of the Labyrinth are still, er, "new" looking as you might put it. The goblins have the money and the manpower to rebuilt their homes, I do not see why they haven't already. The City and the villages outside the Labyrinth do not get impeded with the change. I do at least, help the inhabitants from losing their homes, like any king should." he finished and was now silent.  
  
At this point, he didn't seem all that cruel. Even though he was annoyed by the goblins, punished and threatened them, he actually watched over them. Chantal thought what he had said about the Labyrinth mirroring its travelers.  
  
'The worn, weary sections of it almost reflected…' she glanced at the Goblin King, seeing only his jaw line from where she walked. She took a few quick steps to catch up to him. Jareth had a sorrowful almost lonely, weary look on his, actually, handsome features. The mixed emotion flashed there for a moment before it was gone as he turned to her.  
  
"I – I see," she stammered to his last statement before he could read her thoughts, that she had deciphered that the large puzzle also reflected the ruler of the realm. She wondered if he knew this.  
  
She knew he couldn't really read thoughts, it was silly and of course he knew such things. He seems wise enough that he should know trivial things around his Labyrinth, there shouldn't be any reason for him not to.  
  
"It also reflects the inhabitants in my realm as well and not only the travelers. I am not sure how exactly, it is one of those things that take a lot of pondering and certain theories. Perhaps the Wiseman knows; if he stays awake long enough to tell the answer. You would think I'd know the same answer. I only understand or remember a small concept of it." He scratched the back of his head with an almost embarrassed grin.  
  
"I think I'm getting old." He added with a short laugh.  
  
Chantal laughed. "Everybody get's old, sooner or later," Chantal teased, trying to lighten the mood. She scratched Serek's head as he tightened his tail around her neck.  
  
Jareth smirked.  
  
The two continued down corridors, slowly making their way to the shortcut. Only twice did they have to go down into the Oubliettes. Chantal followed Jareth who told her that in order to continue, most of the times travelers did need to enter the oubliettes.  
  
"Not all the time, someone might figure it out; this is just between you and me." he winked as he helped her pass over a small crevice where in the past, the Cleaners have alrealy went through the certain corridor.  
  
The corridors became sharper and thinner, a few odd times, only one person can pass through. Luckily torches were lighted or rather the Goblin King lit them, for it would have been pitch black in the tunnels, conserving Chantal's flashlight batteries. Chantal wondered how Stephanie ever managed to find her way out in the dark without the help of any light source.  
  
Perhaps an hour or so passed during the travelling in the second oubliette before Jareth found a ladder. Reaching the top, he pushed upon something heavy, the texture of marble like stone. The stone moved aside and the fresh air drifted down, although it smelt like copper as though lightning had stuck the ground a few feet away.  
  
Jareth was glancing around at the new rurroundings as Chantal climbed out of the stone floor.  
  
The sky was a murky purple; color smeared with pink and blue. It was still day and the sun hadn't set but wasn't seen other than an odd shade upon the sky. From where they could see, the castle wan't too far away; they could make out the towers with turrets and the massive dark walls. The tips of roofs from several houses within the Goblin City could be seen peeking over the great City gates.  
  
Only a matter of time. He nodded to himself. He hoped that they would near his castle quickly and yet, he actually dreaded it.  
  
Jareth hoped 'that girl' was all right. He concluded that she was within the castle; either in hiding or captive, for he had felt a shimmer of her presence. He listened to their footsteps, to the light echo upon the stone floor, it sounded eerily strange this time than usual and because of it, he couldn't shake his feeling of dread. The green of the hedges looked almost like a sick grey in the strange light, he frowned upon it all.  
  
At one dead end stood a wooden door, placed neatly in the center of a hedge wall. He opened it and glanced both ways before motioning Chantal over. A small flight of steps, which consisted of four stone steps, led their way to a lush forest. They made their way down the steps, one stone had wobbled under their weight. Light dust swirled at their feet when they stepped onto the path; dead branches lay scattered along with dead leaves.  
  
The Goblin King's boots crunched noisily. He had wished moments before for something other than the constant rumbles of the clouds, to break the silence, he supposed this would have to do.  
  
The sound of thunder had begun to be deafening. Once Chantal had actually jumped because it was so loud and so close. Jareth sensed the nervousness in Chantal and he turned around, making sure she was all right before continuing.  
  
As the Goblin King and the girl made their way through the Labyrinth, he went into deep thought. He was greatly curious of who started all of this. He wanted to guess before actually meeting up with the person responsible for this takeover.  
  
Although he was king, parts of the realm were divided equally, he made sure of that. Of course he could handle the whole Underground on his own but he was certain it would have created more enemies, besides, he was taught better than that to be greedy with power. If anyone had trouble or qualms against him, he would find out a solution. He did have enemies, what king didn't? His realm wasn't always peaceful, although some enemies were not all his, naturally. Battles and conflicts he had his share.  
  
His thoughts went back and forth through possibilities and past encounters and soon he developped a headache. The only way to truly find out is at the final confrontation. He wanted to get it over with, before things became worse.  
  
Jareth turned his attention to the twenty-one year old and offered a nod of reassurance and concentrated on finding the shortcut.  
  
They walked silently for another thirty minutes, encountering a few mishaps with choosing the right path. It seemed that someone was helping them on their way only to trap them in another dead end; distorting his senses, if not rearranging the vast maze.

* * *

At the center of the Labyrinth, within the castle walls, the throne room stood silent. It was peculiar to hear it so deathly quiet, normally it would be full of goblins, ornate with horns or helmet; racketing around the place, lounging over the steps of the throne, upon the ledges of the room, some chasing and teasing chickens or having some jejune squabble; all causing the Goblin King to have headaches.  
  
The chamber was deserted and seemed darker. As Jareth had said, something might have truly frightened the goblins, more than he had managed to do.  
  
A scaly goblin dared a peek, the helmet he wore seemed to big for him and covered his yellow eyes; from behind the ram horned decorated throne from which he hid. He was trembling so much that if he had ornaments hanging from his helmet they would have created a racket. His small gnarled hands gripped the finely crafted wood, hidden by a wine colored drape. He watched wide-eyed at the figure that stood near the center of the room, next to the pit which was normally filled with goblins.  
  
The figure's delicate thin fingers brushed against the large crystal that was on a stand of the blackest wood. The goblin could see that this figure was clearly female due to the long dark colored dress she wore as the figure moved around the stand; the sound of her high heeled sandals was like nails trailing down on a blackboard.  
  
The orb she watched intensily, did not glow, but images could be faintly seen by the terrified goblin, places in the Labyrinth flashed within the crystal; he blinked when he reconized the King.  
  
"Won't be long now," the figure said, her voice resonated with every breath she took.  
  
The goblin shrunk back behind the thone. He did not want to stay in the throne room any longer. He glanced to his left where one of the exits from the stone chamber was situated; with a flight of stairs, a glowing torch illuminating the passage that turned a corner; this led to the room full of stairs. He wondered if he should chance it.

* * *

They finally entered another stone section of the maze where they travelled silently for the better part of an hour. No one said anything for fear of creating more tension of the situation.  
  
Jareth suddenly stopped and looked around. Chantal nearly ran into him for she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, she was too deep in thought, half wishing this was done already and that she was at home, and half wondering where Stephanie was. She had no idea what was causing all this tension in the Underground but it was starting to unnerve her. Chantal Stopped beside Jareth and looked up.  
  
There was a fork in the path.  
  
"Which way?" She asked.  
  
"We are close," he said. "I'm surprised we actually made it here."  
  
Chantal looked at him confused, but jareth didn't say anymore. He started down the left path, leaving Chantal to wonder and to follow behind him. They walked for a few minutes when they came to a part of the maze that looked like a dead end. The end of the corridor was more of a round room, with an odd sundial in the center.  
  
"It's a dead end," Chantal commented.  
  
"Things are not always as they seem," Jareth only replied as he approached the sundial.  
  
"A sundial? How is that going to help us?"  
  
"Patience. See that wall over there? Yes that one, go move the vine off it," He instructed her.  
  
Chantal approached the vine covered wall and easily moved the vines aside, but there was nothing behind the wall. She turned to watch Jareth curiously as he examined the sundial. For a moment she though Jareth was starting to go crazy.  
  
"Where is it? Why did I have to make this thing so tricky?" He grumbled as he ran his hands along the bottom edge of the sundial.  
  
"What are you doing?" She dared to ask.  
  
"Looking for the... Ah ha!"  
  
'CLICK'  
  
Chantal raised and eyebrow as Jareth tilted the top of the sundial. She leaned forward to take a peak. The inside was hollowed out enough to rest a clear crystal.  
  
"Interesting," before she could say anything more, Jareth pointed a the wall she had just uncovered.  
  
"Watch it."  
  
Jareth rested his hand on the crystal, as he did so it started to glow, and the wall behind Chantal started to shimmer. Suddenly there was a full length mirror hanging on the wall in front of her.  
  
Chantal could only stare at her reflection in the mirror with wide eyes. Serek tilted his head at his own reflection from Chantal's shoulder. She impulsively reached her hand out and touched the surface, it rippled like water to her touch.  
  
Meanwhile behind her Jareth had closed the top of the sundial and approached her from behind.  
  
"So we just go through there and we are at the castle?"  
  
Jareth let out a short laugh. "Not quite, I can't make my shortcuts that easy now can I?"  
  
Chantal let out a groan, but nodded.  
  
"After you," Jareth insisted, motioning for her to go first. He smiled at her mischievously.  
  
Chantal gave him a quick glare, but stepped through the mirror. It felt like stepping into water, she instinctively closed her eyes and held her breath. For a few moments it felt like she was walking through water, a pressure almost holding her back, she had to force her way forward. The next minute she found herself standing on solid ground again.  
  
She opened her eyes and found herself in a small room with no windows or doors, just four identical mirrors on each wall. The room was neatly lit from an unknown light source.  
  
On her shoulder Serek shook himself as to rid himself of water. Chantal shivered, then realized she wasn't wet from passing through the mirror. What a strange feeling that had been, and it was not done yet by the look of the mirrors in the room.  
  
A moment later Jareth stepped out of the mirror, he looked up at Chantal and grinned.  
  
"Well that was different," Chantal commented to the Goblin King.  
  
Jareth nodded. "And we have more to pass through."  
  
"I sort of figured that with there being mirrors on the wall and all and no other exit to this room," Chantal said as she rolled her eyes.  
  
The Goblin King ignored her sarcasm as he took a quick look around the room. He then pointed to the mirror to the right of them. "That one!"  
  
Chantal walked up to it and closed her eyes once again as she stepped through. Again she felt like she was walking through water, but easier. It was so odd that she couldn't resist a peak. She opened her eyes for a moment, but all she saw was darkness. A shiver ran down her spine, making her suddenly cold all over. Her heart skipped a beat and she started to panic. She closed her eyes tightly, forced herself to breathe and take another step forward. Her heart was still beating fast when a few seconds later she stepped out of the mirror onto the floor of the next room. Chantal gasped as she took a few steps forward and fell to her knees. Serek on her began to chirp as he rubbed his soft little head on her cheek reassuringly.  
  
"Between?" She muttered to herself.  
  
"What?"  
  
Chantal looked over her shoulder at Jareth, her heart was starting to calm down now. "Well not quite. In a series of books I have read there is this place called 'between'. It's when the person travels from one place to another almost like teleporting, but takes time just like the mirrors. It's dark and cold, and if not done right you can be lost within it forever. When we passed through the mirror it reminded me of that." Story or not, it was frightening.  
  
Jareth raised an eyebrow. "You did not seem to have a problem the first time."  
  
"Because I had my eyes closed."  
  
Jareth started to laugh. "Then continue to do that."  
  
Chantal only nodded, a little embarrassed that she had been frightened by darkness. She wasn't normally afraid of the dark. Perhaps it was just because she didn't expect it to be so dark, she told herself. Serek still clung tightly to Chantal's neck, providing her with a solid presence.  
  
"Are you ready?" Jareth asked, with a hint of concern in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, I just have to keep my eyes closed and I should be fine. Let's go!" Chantal got to her feet and looked around the room. This room was just like the first, but with three mirrors instead of four.  
  
Jareth pointed to the mirror across from them. Chantal stepped up to it and took a deep breath. She then closed her eyes and stepped through the mirror again. Serek clung tightly to her, comforting and encouraging.  
  
Again she felt as if she where passing through water, her clothes and hair moved around, semi floating. Her steps were slow and heavy, and she felt what seemed to be a current gently pushing her forwards. She knew though that if she opened her eyes that there would be nothing but darkness. There was nothing out there, and no light would reveal anything. She forced herself to stay calm and to keep moving. A moment later she stepped out of the mirror and onto solid normal ground. Jareth appeared seconds after. He nodded at Chantal, glad to see she did not freak out again.  
  
They were yet again in a square room with three mirrors. One to the left and right of the mirror they had exited. Jareth pointed to the mirror to their right and Chantal once again closed her eyes as she stepped through.  
  
She exited into another room. This one looked more like a hall with mirrors along both walls. Chantal had stepped out of the center mirror along the one wall. There where three mirrors in front of her and three behind her. Jareth stepped out of the mirror and looked around. He suddenly looked very confused.  
  
Chantal's eyes grew wide and pleading. "Please don't tell me you got us lost."  
  
"This doesn't seem right."  
  
"How so? I thought you designed this shortcut."  
  
"I did, but this room was supposed to be a stone floor, not dirt." Jareth looked back through the mirror they had come, trying to figure out why this wasn't right.  
  
Chantal looked down at her feet and kicked some of the loose dirt with her foot. "Oh!"  
  
Jareth looked at the floor, then at each of the six mirrors. "It seems almost right, but there is two mirrors missing as well on each ends of the hall."  
  
"Well if you think we took a wrong turn, we can always go back," Chantal said as she took step towards the mirror they exited a moment ago.  
  
Jareth reached out and grabbed her before she could get close to the mirror.  
  
"We cannot go back," He told her. Chantal gave him a confused look. "The mirrors only go one way, so stepping back won't lead you to where we came from."  
  
"Well that makes things complicated."  
  
"Well, can't have just anybody using this shortcut."  
  
Chantal looked back at the mirror and sighed.  
  
"So what now then?" she asked as she started to move the loose dirt under her feet. She looked at Jareth but he was looking at her feet. No, not her feet, but what was under them.  
  
Jareth started to push some of the dirt aside to reveal a stone floor with a crystal shape imprinted in the stones. Jareth smiled, finally understanding, and pointed to the mirror across from them on the left. "That one"  
  
Chantal looked at the floor again then at the mirror, before she could ask, Jareth explained.  
  
"This room isn't finished, the dirt was used to fill in the cracks between the stones. The workers haven't co,e back yet to add the two other mirrors or to remove the dirt. I will have to get at them to finish this."  
  
Chantal nodded. "But first we need to get to the castle."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
Chantal grinned and stepped through the next mirror.  
  
They exited into a triangular room with a mirror on each wall. Jareth pointed to the mirror to their left and entered it. They continued through the rooms without any more incidents. They passed through three rooms; first a rectangular room with four mirrors, then into a square room with three mirrors, then into another rectangular room with four mirrors.  
  
When they exited into a circular room with three mirrors, Chantal stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. She then let out a sigh.  
  
"How many more to go?" she asked.  
"Not many," Jareth replied looking around the room for the next mirror.  
  
"How many is not many?"  
  
Jareth turned to look at her and grinned teasingly. Chantal glared back, hands on her hips, hoping this would encourage a more direct answer. Unfortunately it did not work.  
  
"You are enjoying this too much," she told him accusingly. "I thought we had a kingdom to save."  
  
"Indeed we do."  
  
"Then why are we spending all this time in this 'shortcut'? I thought this would have gotten us to the castle faster."  
  
"Oh, believe me, this is faster. After you!" Jareth said gesturing for Chantal to enter the next mirror.  
  
Chantal rolled her eyes and walked past him to the mirror. "You are so weird."  
  
Jareth laughed behind her as she stepped through the mirror.  
  
On the other side they exited into another rectangular room with five mirrors. Jareth pointed to the one across from them and they walked into it. By now Chantal was getting used to the feeling of traveling through the mirrors. She still kept her eyes firmly shut as she passed through them, still not wishing to see the darkness around her.  
  
They then entered into an 'L' shaped room, Chantal followed Jareth around the corner and to the next mirror.  
  
On the other side was yet again another square room. Chantal stood in the middle of the small room and looked around. She was a little confused, for there were only two mirrors. One she has just exited and one in front of her. It seemed too simple.  
  
Jareth appeared behind her and Chantal turned to face him.  
  
"That one?" She asked unsure if it was really the next mirror they had to enter.  
  
Jareth shook his head and pointed at the mirror they had just exited.  
  
Chantal shook her head and laughed. "Go figure. 'The way forward is sometimes the way back.'" She stepped back through the mirror, leaving Jareth to follow her.  
  
This time when she exited everything was dark, unlike the unnatural light in the other rooms. Though it was dark, it was not the darkness she had experienced when going through the mirrors.  
  
'Had Jareth been mistaken?' Chantal thought. Serek let out a little chirp of encouragement. Chantal pulled off her backpack and reached inside to pull out her flashlight. She flipped the switch, turning it on and began to look around. She stood in a white corridor going to the left and right of her. In front of her was just a normal stone brick wall. She turned around to look behind her, but it was just a solid wall where she had exited a mirror a moment before. She touched the wall, it was solid under her hand. She stepped back and waited for Jareth.  
  
A moment later the wall seemed to shimmer, and Jareth stepped out of the wall. Behind him the wall stopped shimmering and returned to normal.  
  
"I take it we are in the castle now?" Chantal asked.  
  
"Yes, in the 'basement'," Jareth replied.  
  
"And castle basements tend to be mazes as well. So which way are we going?" she asked pointing her flashlight left then right down the corridor.  
"Straight," he replied walking past her to the wall adjacent to them. The Goblin King placed one hand on a brink in the wall and pushed.  
'Click!'  
  
There was a low rumbling as a section of the wall moved back into an opening then slid slowly to the left. Chantal shone her light through the opening and they could see stone stairs leading upwards.  
  
"Now that is a shortcut!"  
  
Jareth laughed at the girl.  
  
"I guess now we find out what has been going on up there." Chantal said gazing into the darkness.  
  



	7. Within the Castle Walls

Chapter Six: Within the Castle Walls

--------------

The Goblin King said nothing as he climbed the stairs and neither did the girl at his side.  
  
From above, they could see the dim glow of a light source. It lead to a plain looking room, a small dungeon with cobwebs covering the bars, their footprints were left clearly imprinted in a layer of dust that covered the floor.  
  
They moved quickly and silently across the room and climbed a short flight of stairs; the Goblin King pushed open the wooden door that led to the dungeon. They came across a great hallway, where many corridors led in every direction. Jareth chose a hallway to his left; they passed several doorways and more corridors before they entered a specific couloir.  
  
Jareth's lips parted when he suddenly felt a familiar presence that was in the air. He quickly rushed up the spiral stone staircase, making a few flames of the torches flicker and entered the famous Escheresque room; Chantal a few steps behind. He stopped at the edge of the platform overlooking the confusing room. He was certain that the presence was there; for a moment it was strong and then it was as though it had left the room.  
  
"Stephanie?" he called out, his voice echoed throughout the room.  
  
No response.  
  
His eyes narrowed in confusion; he shook his head at Chantal and he turned around to descend the steps that was situated to one side of the platform; he informed the girl that they will take one more shortcut to the throne room; Chantal groaned with another roll of her eyes to which Jareth held a chuckle.  
  
It took them several more minutes as they made their way through the many passageways and staircases, it took more time because the mortal girl could not walk in any direction within the room like he can, so he had to find a way around this obsticle. At one point he wanted to use some of his magic to help the girl to shorten the process but who knew how powerful or dangerous this enemy was; he decided to keep any powers he still had.  
  
The Goblin King smiled a bit when he saw the platform they needed to reach; to Chantal they all looked the same, even the markings etched above each doorway. The smile faded when he entered the castle's main hallway instead of the throne room.  
"Hmm," he said and quickly made his way down the hall; he motioned for Chantal to stay put for a moment. Chantal nodded and shifted her bag upon her shoulder. Serek toyed with the necklaces around her neck. She found it strange that his boots did not make a sound upon the marble flooring. She watched him move with cat like graces before she lost sight of him.  
  
"It's quiet," the Goblin King's voice said, startling Chantal, his tone low by her ear. He was standing next to her.  
  
"But- you- Don't do that!" she whispered back.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Oh, never mind!"  
  
Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to the throne room. Stay here until I return." he held up a hand to quiet her protests. "If I do not return, you'll leave; go back to your own realm. No use putting yourself in danger. Do you understand?"  
  
"But-" Chantal protested.  
  
"No." he cut her off. "Do you understand?" he asked again.  
  
Chantal sighed. "All right, but-"  
  
"Good." he nodded and left as quietly as he came; not giving Chantal a chance to say anything further.  
  
"Stubborn." she commented as she watched him point to her, indicating that he meant for her to stay put, he then exited the Escher room.  
  
"Like I'd listen to him." Chantal said. "He might get himself into more than he bargained for." she tiptoed down the hall, making sure her footsteps were not heard; heading towards the Goblin King's direction.

* * *

The Goblin King looked around his silent throne room, his footsteps echoed in the empty room. Certain things were different; it was gloomier than usual, the throne seemed smaller, the pit remained in the middle of the room and so did most of the objects he was familiar with.  
  
Lightning flashed outside the circular window and something caught his eye. A large crystal on a stand was near the throne. Dark claws held the crystal in its place upon the stand; he actually expected to see claw marks on the perfect orb.  
  
Jareth wondered if Chantal had actually listened to his warnings, and also he wondered where Stephanie could be; her presence was so very strong now within the castle.  
  
Within the throne room, the air had seemed to thicken, he almost shivered. He warily glanced around the room as he approached the large crystal by the throne; he knew he was not the one who put that there. His eyes narrowed at the clear sphere. Perhaps he would be able to answer a few questions with a search. He placed a glove covered hand upon the crystal and felt nothing from the globe. To get a closer feel, he removed his gloves and placed a hand upon the crystal and searched; brief images of the past hours traveling the Labyrinth with Chantal was all he managed to get, other than a few blurred shapes of a mysterious figure.  
  
Something brushed against the back of his neck. He spun around, a hand upon his neck but sudden dizziness made him fall to his knees. He heard footsteps approaching as he tried to remain conscious, his vision was blurry and he couldn't make out the figure's form. He squinted in vain as the figure stopped next to him; all he saw was ivory feet clad in dark sandals.  
  
Jareth's eyes rolled up into his head, he fell forward and lost consciousness.

* * *

Chantal frowned. She was certain that Jareth took this corridor. Her hands were on her hips. "I was sure of it." she mumbled.  
  
Serek growled suddenly deep in his throat and Chantal whirled around.  
Her eyes widened at the figure before her, she opened her mouth to speak but it was too late; she was thrown back by a force and hit her head on the grey stone. Chantal let out a short cry of pain and landed on the floor.  
  
Serek had left Chantal's shoulder, sharp teeth bared and flew towards the figure.  
  
"You're in the way," the figure said. A snap of her fingers and the little dragon turned into a stuffed animal, landing on the floor at her feet with a comical squeak.  
  
The figure approached Chantal who was squinting at the figure before her. What to do with this one? Her eyes shot to her left. "You might as well reveal yourself," she said.  
  
There was silence and then a goblin appeared; his helmet was over his eyes trying to hide his fear, he didn't make it far before getting caught. His hands were clutched together, nervously.  
  
"I'll spare you if you make yourself useful," the figure said as she snapped her fingers once more. Chantal then turned into a doll, the same size as her pet.  
  
"Get rid of them," she pointed to both dolls, the girl at her feet and then the dragon a few feet away.  
  
The goblin was going to ask how he should get rid of the dolls, but a quick glance at the woman's eyes made him bite his tongue. He nodded solemly and rushed after grabbing both dolls in his pudgy arms.  
  
The goblin ran as fast as his tiny feet could take him and entered one of the servent's quarters. He panted to catch his breath and looked behind him, making sure that the woman had not followed him to make sure he did his task; he doubted it; she looked very busy.  
  
He crossed the room where a trapdoor was located. He placed the dolls gently by his feet and pulled the ring that was used to lift the wooden door. The hole was fairly big, enough to place anything to get rid of, books, food, furniture, etc. and that's what it was used for. The goblin gave the dolls a longing glance and asked silently to forgive him before he tossed them into the hole.  
  
The Chantal and Serek dolls slid down the vent with a soft sound, they had no trouble making their way towards their destination; the Junkyard outside the Goblin City.  
  
A panel in the vent opened up and a small force blew Chantal and Serek towards the side opening. The dolls flew out of the new vent, missing platforms and staircases by inches.  
  
The dragon doll glowed suddenly and returned to his normal form. He squeaked and quickly flapped his wings to stop himself from falling. He let out another sharp cry as he saw the Chantal doll falling deeper into the abyss of the Escher room. He dove and opened his back claws, catching Chantal, but the doll was still too heavy for him. He manuvered his flight to a nearby platform just as the Chantal doll began to glow.  
  
Serek's eyes whirled as he let out another chirp. The doll changed back to the human form and Serek lost the fight with gravity.  
  
"Wha-?" Chantal managed before both she and Serek landed roughly upon a platform. Chantal tumbled and hit her head again and was knocked out cold. She landed on her stomach and Serek landed next to her. After a moment he blinked his orange eyes and moved towards the girl. He nuzzled his head against her cheek, nibbled her ear to try and wake her but to no avail.  
  
Serek chirped worried.  
  
At that moment, a creature entered the Escheresque room; the creature was thin and was dressed in a pale dress like garment, almost the same color as the platform the girl and the dragon stood on. Her thin paper like wings were deformed and she could not fly and so she was an outcast from the feary kinfolk. She managed to live for a long time within the Escher room, gathering items and things here and there to survive or whatever sparked her curiousity, before they were thrown to the Junkyard. She had found a way to transport her finding with means of a magical item around her neck. If the Goblin King knew of her presence in this room, he did not show it.  
  
The feary saw that the girl was unconscious with a small cut amist her hair and quickly disappeared. She then appeared again with a small blue bottle that held a small amount of liquid and approached the two figures. Her bare feet made no sound upon the stone platform. Serek did not growl but slowly moved aside for the faery to help out. The feary smiled and petted the dragon's head with one tiny hand.  
  
She turned to the girl, there was no need to kneel beside her, and gently turned the bottle over to pour some of the liquid into her hand, she then placed her hand over the tiny cut. She did this a few times before Chantal moaned and opened her hazel eyes.  
  
"Where am I?" Chantal said and sat up. Serek chirped and rubbed his head against her hand, which she acknowledged. She fumbled for her glassed, put them on once found and then looked down at the tiny feary when her vision and the throbbing in her head disappered. "Hello,"  
  
The feary waved shyly with one hand, the other held the bottle. She took a few steps back to look up at the girl better. Serek remained by the feary.  
  
"You helped me with my injury didn't you?" Chantal asked. The feary nodded. "Thank you." she said to which the faery smiled. Chantal returned the smile and then looked around her surroundings. She saw that she was again in the Escher room. An idea came to her suddenly and she turned to the feary.  
  
"Do you think you can help me get out of this room and to the throne room?" she asked the feary. The feary nodded with another smile. Chantal got to her feet, brushed off any dirt that clung to her clothes. She then gently picked up the feary and asked her when she was ready to lead the way.

* * *

Jareth's eyebrow twitched and both furrowed, fighting the grogginess he felt invading his head. He knew he was still somewhere within the castle; he felt the cool rough stone beneath his cheek.  
  
The Goblin King slowly opened his odd greenish-blue eyes, his vision still blurry, the dizziness persisted; he managed to figure out that he was not in one of the dungeon's chambers, but still in his throne room. Objects he would usually recognize in the room were fuzzy shapes and colors. He squinted and blinked to clear his sight. He lay still for a moment, wondering if he would be able to at least sit up.  
  
Jareth moaned as he slowly pushed himself to a kneeling position, a hand to his forehead as though to keep it intact. He was about to take a chance and stand but a wave of dizziness made his stop halfway, a hand on one knee, half kneeling.  
  
His vision became clearer after a moment and he stared suddenly at a foot clad in a thin black strapped high heeled sandal; at the base of the throne. He raised his head as he cleared vision went further up, to inspect this person; revealing a long dark dress with a slit, held together at the thigh with silver chains; a leg was over the other. The bodice of the dress was a darker color compared to the dress and had some vine like designs embodied into it. Long sleeves started at the upper thin arms and stopped at the wrists with odd cut edges, in a bell like pattern; the arms rested upon the arms of the round, ram-horned seat. An onyx crystal pendant hung around the woman's neck with a silver chain. Long, dark brown hair flowed over pale bare shoulders of the being; stands covered the cheeks of the pale face.  
  
His gaze stopped at almond shaped, dark liquid crimson eyes; they looked upon Jareth with such intensity that it gave him chills. A small smile appeared on the being's thin lips at Jareth's discomfort.  
  
"Stephanie?" Jareth said in disbelief.  
  
The girl upon the throne said nothing, but smiled again; a rather innocent and yet malicious expression. 

----------------------------------------------


	8. Basis for Comparison

Chapter Seven: Basis for Comparison

* * *

"You look surprised to see me Jareth," Stephanie, the missing girl, said. Her voice sounded otherworldly; it echoed and resonated with every breath she took.  
  
The Goblin King shivered as another chill went up his spine. The way she spoke his name was the reason, it had sounded different than usual; cold, heartless and cruel. Her normally brown eyes were replaced with cold crimson ones. This was not the girl he knew, she in fact looked evil.  
  
"I wouldn't have thought it were you behind all this." he said, slowly rising to his feet, still slightly dizzy.  
  
"No one would have," Stephanie admitted, rising up from the throne, her hands at her sides. "'It's always the quiet one.'" she said in a mocking tone and finished with a bored sigh. "You would think people would learn by now." Another smile.  
  
"Why?" the Goblin King asked. The ultimate question.  
  
"Why not??" Stephanie replied, stopping on the third and last step of the throne pedestal. "Who wouldn't want to rule a realm??"  
  
"Ruling over goblins? Poor choice my dear girl, and a very pathetic start to ruling this realm." Jareth said in mockery as Stephanie passed him and stopped at the other side of the room. "Sounds to me that-"  
  
Stephanie stood inches from him suddenly. "Burning yourself is not going to stop my intentions." she smirked. "Babysitting snot-nosed little brats or kidnapping unwanted children and people is a pathetic attempt to rule and a complete waste of my time. I don't rule like you, I have my own way and I know that there's more than just goblins in this realm or yours and that the goblins are just part of it."  
  
She paused and smiled. "The Underground shall be mine,"  
  
"Do you really think so? What makes you so sure that you can?" Although he was at least two feet taller than she, he still felt intimidated especially by her expression.  
  
"Get in my way and I will not tolerate your insolence, Jareth." The air around the girl was menacing, her voice continued to resonate with each syllable. He smirked. His smirk in fact hid the uneasiness he felt. Something's going to happen, isn't it?, his mind asked.  
  
"You can't expect to rule the Underground. You're not really ruling material." Jareth continued the former conversation, breaking away from his troubled thoughts.  
  
"Are you really that foolish to underestimate me Jareth??" Stephanie asked, taking a menacing step forward and the Goblin King actually stepped back. "Just because I don't look like I can handle it??"  
  
"No. Do I look like a fool who would? You've stood your ground before and I've acknowledged this. You are a worthy opponent, no need to prove it further."  
  
Stephanie scoffed. "I find it hard to believe that a being like you would be intimidated by someone like me," she almost smirked, lightly amused.  
  
"You seem stronger." Jareth confessed. "The air around you; it's giving off powerful vibes and is affecting people, no matter how powerful they may be."  
  
"I wonder what else you're going to say to save your hide and your realm." Stephanie laughed softly. Jareth said nothing, he almost looked insulted.  
  
"It's disappointing," he finally said. "that you would have gone to a darker state,"  
  
"Such reverence for me suddenly??" she turned to look back at Jareth. "What if I chose this, dark side, then what??"  
  
The Goblin King raised an elegant eyebrow. "So it's based on some form of-"  
  
"Revenge??" Stephanie laughed. "Please. I'm not one who would stoop low enough for revenge. I may not have the intellect to explain the meaning of this takeover but I assure you it's not revenge. But I don't see how it can be so difficult to understand that I'm taking over the realm, I seriously don't. You need a reason??" she took a few steps forward, her fingertips pressed against each other. "Here's one: your reign had ended and I'm taking over. Simple really."  
  
"Who are you to judge when my reign should end?" he protested.  
  
"What makes you think I'm judging you?? All I want is to takeover. Have you ever asked past enemies their reason for attacking your castle?? They have the same reason as I." Stephanie replied with a slight shrug.  
  
It was silent for a moment. "I tire of this, perhaps I'm avoiding logic talk and frankly I don't care. The sooner I rid of you, the better." her crimson eyes flashed dangerously at Jareth.  
  
"What is the hurry? Why not start with 'lesser' enemies and save me for last? Wouldn't you want to destroy me last before you take over the Underground, to keep the savor for later?" he replied, trying to buy some time.  
  
"A mistake to keep your main enemy for last. Get rid of the priority first and then take care of the weaker nuisance." Stephanie said with a clear laugh, it made the flames of a few torches within the room dance. She held the tip of her tongue to one of her canines, savoring the plan. "Still. It's an interesting idea and a very tempting one at that."  
  
"Pity," Jareth commented.  
  
"I give you an 'A' for effort." Stephanie smiled to which Jareth smirked. She had been walking around and stopped only once to gaze into the crystal before continuing around the room. "Sorry, but I'm a very busy woman and I must continue with my plan."  
  
"And I must apologize Stephanie but I'm going to have to put an end to your fun." he said, making the girl turn around from the edge of the pit.  
  
"Spoilsport," she smirked.  
  
Jareth smiled. "Well, this is giving me the pleasure of stopping you first, and for that I must thank you."  
  
"You'll not stop me," Stephanie threatened, her voice resonated a bit more, light in her crimson eyes shifted and a eerie faint note seem to hum in the air at that precise moment. Jareth kept his composure, holding back a shiver as she kept her malicious smile.  
  
"I can try," Jareth said, not backing down. The girl's crimson eyes flashed with curiosity.  
  
"I admire your determination," she had continued to walk around the pit, and now she stopped at the crystal and passed her hands over the smooth surface, the image inside seemed to ripple like water at her touch. "for that, I'm going to give you the choice to back down."  
  
"I must decline, dear girl." Jareth had stepped away from the crystal, but continued to face her.  
  
"So be it. If that's the way you want to have it." Stephanie nodded, crossing her arms over her small chest.  
  
Jareth seemed to flex his fingers; they rested at his sides, preparing for something. Raising his arms to waist height, his eyes remained on Stephanie, he then concentrated; magic hummed in the air around him.  
  
Two grayish energy balls appeared in both hands, magic swirled like smoke before it formed into what appears to be solid spheres. Magic lightning crackled within the crystal like spheres.  
  
Jareth started to bring his hands together but the spheres seemed unstable and deflected negative energy off each other and the magic crackled with disagreement. He decided to use another method: he threw one orb to either side of the girl, where it trailed around her and as soon as the first had left, he threw the second to her other side. The action made the floor rumble and animated a few loose objects around the room.  
  
Fire like beams flew upwards and surrounded her; it was to trap the girl until he can cast another form of magic to finish the task. The fire was burning fiercely but nevertheless, the girl stepped through unharmed. She looked back at the still burning circle.  
  
"Impressive," she commented and turned to the Goblin King. "Though you shouldn't have held back on your powers,"  
  
Her crimson eyes flashed dangerously as she slowly raised her arms and mimicked his first casting gesture, there was only one difference: the crystal like spheres were a much darker shade of grey. She managed to complete what Jareth was unable to do; she brought her hands together and the spheres merged into one large orb. She raised her arms above her head, whereas the orb followed and floated inches from her head, just barely touching her headpiece. Pure white lightning crackled loudly within the orb.  
  
"I believe this was what you were trying to do??" the girl struck her arms down.  
  
"Bloody he-" Jareth uttered, his greenish-blue eyes widened as he was struck by the orb and was thrown back. He landed roughly to the ground, his shoulder throbbed but he managed to stand.  
  
'Drat! Either that crystal upon the stand is giving her these powers or it's the pendant around her neck. Either way, this is not good.' he thought as he glanced first at the crystal then back at Stephanie.  
  
Stephanie stood there, hands on her hips, a smile upon her thin lips. "More??" the girl held up a hand, palm up, a black energy ball appeared and it floated above her palm. With a flick of her wrist, it shot towards the Goblin King. He had been holding his shoulder since the first attack, now he let it go to raise his good hand. The dark orb hit an unseen force field that surrounded him.  
  
The blast cleared; hair and loose clothing billowed with the speed of the forces. He knew that Stephanie was just warming up. How much power was given to her?, he wondered. Another round of the same pitch black orbs flew towards him and he managed to block them as well. He mentally tried to calculate her strength.  
  
Jareth and Stephanie regarded each other; crimson eyes stared at greenish-blue ones, both adversaries anticipating their next move.

* * *

Chantal tiptoed, making sure that her running shoes made not a sound upon the dark marble floor. She inched her way towards the throne room entrance; it was different from typical castles, there were no doors, just an open doorway. The light from torches and sunlight shone from the throne room and made a path on the floor of the grand hallway.  
  
She heard muffled voices coming from the throne room, the voices stopped from time to time and was replaced by explosions or the sound of things getting destroyed and the floor shaking. Finally the rumbling subsided.  
  
'What's going on in there?' Chantal wondered. She dared a peek from one side of the large doorway. Dust trailed in the air following pieces of ruble that flew by, followed by the Goblin King, sliding on his feet; he shot what looked like a glowing crystal, the same he had thrown at the Labyrinth's entrance. There was a few rips in his clothing and a few places were covered with the stones' dust.  
  
Chantal saw him move quickly sideways, almost like he had turned an invisible sharp corner; conjuring up another cast, from what Chantal could tell. He moved just as quickly from view and a girl with a dark dress came into view, just as quickly, going in the same direction. The girl also slid on her feet at the same spot as Jareth, a crystal in hand. Although the speed of the chase was incredible, Chantal could still make out the face of her friend; she wasn't certain when she hit her head a while back but it was true indeed; it was Stephanie all along.  
  
She wasn't certain how to feel of the situation but she knew that they had to stop Stephanie, there was no choice. She nodded as though to reasure herself. She took a deep breath. Her hazel eyes peeked out more around the corner, to view more of the ongoing battle within the throne room. Strands of her curly brown hair swifted with the breeze of the blasts and passed over her face, almost ticking her nose. She craned her neck to better hear the conversation between blasts attacks.  
  
"- and you don't care what happens to the inhabitants you've injured nor the homes you've destroyed?" Jareth's voice rang out clearly in the room.

* * *

"- and you don't care what happens to the inhabitants you've injured nor the homes you've destroyed?"  
  
Stephanie laughed. "They mean nothing to me, and I have no use for them if they chose to be a nuisance." her eyes continued to glow eerily in the light. She waited patiently, inspecting a few scratches on her arms as Jareth had taken refuge behind a column.  
  
Jareth cracked his fingers with a satisfiying snap, apparently still a little rusty using his powers for defense and for attacks; he was too used to his usual powers. He sighed and leaned against the column. His eyes looked back as he replied. "What about the people around you?"  
  
"Useless and meaningless as I've said. I've no problem getting rid of those who defy me, including those around me."  
  
"Even if it's me or Chantal?" the Goblin King asked, he stepped away from the column and made his way to the center of the room. Stephanie's eyes glanced up from inspecting a cut upon her bare shoulder.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But we're your friends!" a voice called out.  
  
Jareth turned around and Stephanie slowly blinked and faced the figure in the doorway.  
  
Chantal stood in a defense like stance.  
  
"Friends??" Stephanie gave a short laugh. "I do not need friends." she stated. "Friends get in the way; they'll stop you when they get the chance, they slow you down when reaching your goal and they always expect something once you've achieved it. A warning to you foolish girl, go home and be out of my way, this does not concern you."  
  
Chantal ran towards her but stopped dead in her tracks, her hair settled a moment later. Her clear hazel eyes were wide. "What are you talking about?? We haven't done those things to you," Chantal replied, confused.  
  
"That's not how friends treat each other," Jareth put in.  
  
"Your philosophy of friendship is highly, overrated." Stephanie scoffed. "Now, enough of this prattle." she turned around to face Jareth.  
  
The Goblin King was ready for another attack, he was also ready to stop Stephanie if she should attack Chantal, in any means.  
  
"Jareth," Chantal started as though she read his mind and took a step forward, meaning to stop him.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt her!" the Goblin King snapped, he glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye and quickly returned his gaze to Stephanie, who smiled and remained in her current position.  
  
"A pity really," Stephanie said as she uncrossed her arms. "This ought to be amusing,"

* * *

The "friendship" speech has no way related to the reason why Chantal and I are no longer doing this together, nor it is meant to burn her in any way. I had typed out the speech months ago before any of the writer's block and her not wanting to participate any longer had taken place. 


	9. My Kingdom Is As Great

Chapter Eight: My Kingdom Is As Great

* * *

"Unlike Jareth, I on the other hand, did not promise no casualties," Stephanie smiled, her crimson eyes almost glowed.

The Goblin King clenched his fist, conjuring another spell, a few strands of his light hair moved. Stephanie raised a hand, palm up, a dark clear crystal appeared, surrounded in blue flames; she raised her other hand at the same level; around chest high, and another fire crystal appeared. She placed her outstretched hands before her, joining the crystalline fireballs. She raised her hands about her head, with no trouble passing by her sharp headpiece, as the fireball followed and she struck her hands down barely with any effort.

The large fireball hit the ground, making the stones from the floor break into dangerous pieces and sent flying from opposite sides, away from where the crystal dug its path. The fireball roared its destruction as it headed towards Jareth. With not enough time to create a barrier, he dodged out of the way.

Dust and stones swirled to a settle at the spot where he had been moments before. He got up and pushed Chantal out of the way of a huge stone that came crashing down. He was unsure if he should leave the girl lest Stephanie should attack the defenseless Chantal. He decided and then created a barrier around her before moving quickly out onto the battlefield; he doubted Stephanie would waste time attacking Chantal. He knew that once Stephanie set her mind on something, there was no way to persuade her otherwise.

Stephanie turned to Jareth's direction and resumed her attack, whereas he quickly dodged these as well. Minutes passed with the same results.

"Stand still," she almost hissed. She did small attacks, trying to get a clear shot at the dodging Goblin King which only irritated Stephanie. Her eyes closed and her fists clenched tightly. It was as though she was searching or perhaps concentrating.

Her eyes opened and her hands shot open as an onyx crystal appeared; she threw this at the Goblin King who had just gotten up from the previous blast; he had ducked behind what appears to be the remains of section of a wall that had fallen. The blast hit him full force in the chest and he was sent flying towards a wall, he struck the wall and he fell to the floor, onto his stomach.

Jareth coughed, dust swirled before his mouth. He slowly pushed himself up, glanced at Stephanie and shot a beam of energy towards her direction. The silvery beam hit her in the stomach and made her fly back, behind the broken throne. Debris clattered and jumped as she landed.

Silence.

Suddenly the throne exploded, shattered in hundreds of pieces, all sent flying in every direction; Chantal ducked involuntarily behind her barrier. More pieces continued to be thrown outwards, raining down upon the Goblin King and bounced off Chantal's force field.

Stephanie emerged from the dust, looking very pissed off. She glared at the Goblin King.

Before he could do anything, especially to escape her deadly gaze, she moved towards him in an angry rush and grabbed him by his shirt collar. He blinked at her incredible speed, his eyes widened at her next action; she threw him up in the air as though he was merely a doll.

The Goblin King did not want to plummet to the partially destroyed floor; he quickly morphed into his owl form and flapped his wings, regaining his balance. He flew around the throne room to find a suitable place to land.

Stephanie by this time, had watched the transformation from king to owl, smiled and closed her eyes; her hands at her sides, palms facing forward. Her long hair swirled and flowed and she raised a hand and held it above the other, two grey crystals hovered. She lowered her arms, the crystals floated to hover on each side of her head. Her crimson eyes opened and the crystals shot forward. They caught the Jareth/owl being like an invisible net projected from a cannon.

The owl screeched. A mass of tangled feathers and light colored cloth flew by and halted in mid air, feathers got loose and floated down. The mass shifted, making the long strips of cloth to create water like movements. The strips of cloth became shorter, darker and the feathers disappeared, leaving a disheveled Goblin King.

He tried moving in order to get down but saw that he was unable to do so. Stephanie remained by the destroyed throne, her right hand was out, her index finger pointed towards him. She drummed her fingers in a wave gesture, her many rings clinked together; Jareth blinked. She quickly gestured to the wall on her right. Jareth was sent spiraling to the direction suggested; he followed and crashed into the walls and ceiling or to whatever places that Stephanie was pointing to. Before he could fall to the floor, she pointed to columns, walls, debris, a few times to the stone floor; anything that was suitable to inflict pain to the Goblin King.

"Jareth!" Chantal cried out. Serek trilled in a warning.

His breath was knocked out of him a few times and he gritted his teeth to stop from losing consciousness. Jareth landed on his back, trying to catch his breath; he groaned in pain. For a second, the thought of why the girl was not attacking came across his mind, he looked up.

Stephanie was standing right beside him, he did not like the expression on her face; it was pure hatred. Stephanie kicked the Goblin King hard in his side which made him roll over to his left, another kick followed to his back. He tried vainly to get up; he needed just another moment to catch his breath, to think, before he can conjure up his powers. He made it to his knees before Stephanie kicked him full force in the chest and he was thrown back onto his back again; he coughed painfully.

He managed to roll out of the way of another series of kicks and got to his feet, he ducked behind a column. He took a few painful deep breaths. As he concentrated, he listened to her approaching footsteps. Once he was ready with a crystal in hand, he turned away from the column and threw the orb towards her.

The girl with the crimson eyes raised a hand to stop the crystal in its tracks, which was a few inches from her outstretched hand. With a flick of her wrist, it was sent back to its owner at incredible speed.

"Drat!" Jareth cursed under his breath, raising both hands at the incoming orb; it became larger as the girl had added some of her powers to it.

* * *

"Ha' ano itu' rk ai' tho," a voice finished their song.

A hat upon a brow which was a bird like creature nodded to himself of his performance; he wished that he had at least an audience that would gladly listen to him. He opened his mouth to ask for requests when a sound stopped him. He almost sneered at the familiar snoring beneath him that belonged to the "Wiseman" of the ever-changing Labyrinth. The bird sighed. He looked around his surroundings; he had nothing better to do, being no more than a hat and all.

The Labyrinth was different of course, it even felt different even to the strange creature; it had the same feeling as when the Underground had been taken over not too long ago but this time was different all together. It was between the King and the other being.

He cleared his throat to start another song when he had found nothing of interest to look at.

The sound of an explosion was heard and the creature turned his head in the direction of the King's castle; he saw a figure crash through a solid wall of the castle and disappeared behind the gate walls and into the Goblin City.

"That looked like it must have hurt," he commented with a wince. He stretched out his neck to see if he can get a better view. The Wiseman opened a droopy eye; he glanced at the castle and mumbled in his sleep like state.

The bird shook his head at the change of scenery and looked down.

"Useless!" he grumbled to the being below.

* * *

It was silent, safe for the few pieces of debris that continued to fall and settle. Dust sifted through the air until it cleared.

A low moan was heard and large chunks of roofing that the Goblin King had crashed into one of the goblin's home, moved. He coughed at the dust and the pain in his chest. He took a deep breath, sat up and started to remove the house structure from his body. On his feet, he glanced at the opening he had created.

Jareth winced. He then made his way towards the door of the house he landed in and stepped outside, wary of Stephanie should she appear. Jareth dusted off his clothes and headed back towards the castle.

"Jare old boy, you're getting rusty," the Goblin King mumbled to himself.

Stephanie by this time had stepped onto the broken ledge of the "new" opening of the throne room and had jumped down, landing on her feet with a small thud. Barely a second passed before she started walking in the direction where Jareth had vanished.

She rounded a corner and was struck by an energy beam, slamming her into a wall of a nearby house.The cry of pain was cut short when the breath was knocked out of her. The Goblin King stepped out from the narrow alleyway he hid for his attack and conjured another crystal as he walked towards the fallen girl.

Stephanie winced and slowly got to her feet. She glared at the Goblin King and raised a hand to attack. Jareth threw the crystal and Stephanie was sent crashin through the building she previously hit. He concluded that if she was powerful enough to have access to magic, then she was strong enough to withstand any injuries created by them. What if it was the possibility that she was under a spell?, he wondered. He hoped that he was wrong.

Jareth started walking towards the building, a rundown old house which surprinsigly stayed intact even though the damage it was getting; he heard the girl moving inside. He glanced inside the hole and squinted to see amongst the dust. His eyes widened and he quickly ducked just as a medium sized energy beam shot out the opening.

"That was a close one," he smirked looking through the hole again. "But you missed dear girl."

"Darn!!" Stephanie said. She pushed a broken wooden table from where she stood. Jareth watched, actually leaning against the newly made window sill. One of the girl's sleeve was tangled in broken pieces of wood, she tried freeing herself but gave up as the tangled strips knotted more. A moment later and the girl's sleeves lay crumpled on the ground, the silver armbands that held the sleeves remained.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Of course." the girl replied. They stood silently to see who would strike first. Stephanie's eyes darted at the same moment towards a dark wooden door to her left then back at Jareth. Her eyes narrowed.

"Damn it!!" Her hand was up and shot another dark energy beam at Jareth just as he started running towards the side opening. 'He's fast.' she thought. She held her other hand and blew the door away with another blast.

Jareth stopped in his tracks and the side of the house exploded outward. As soon as the dust and the debris settled, he rushed over to the enlarged doorway. He cursed under his breath and slammed his palm on one side of the doorway. There was an opening on the other side of the building. He spun around, his senses keen and alert, looking in every open direction.

Thunder rumbled, lightning crackeld and continued to tease the sky. He told his nerves not to jump and to remain calm. It has been a while since the last battle. He had to remained focused; it was thrilling in a way, someone as powerful in the line of magic. His senses were more alert now and he dodged an attack from an unknown point. His eyes searched the well known City.

"Where is she?" he muttered under his breath. Another dark crystal headed his way, he raised his hand to block. Barely a moment later, another cast came from a different direction; he easily blocked this attack as well. Movement caused him to glance at out of the corner of his eye. At his own incredible but still humanly possible speed, he ran in the direction where he was certain that 'that girl' ran from. Attacks slowed his pace, his and hers, and he had ducked behind several buildings and houses. A few attacks damaged many sides and a few whole buildings.

Jareth jumped over debris, still keeping track of Stephanie. He winced as a energy line grazed the side of his face. Blood, crimson in color, seeped out of a long cut. An attack hit him square in the back. He stumbled forward with a short cry. He quickly got up and zigzagged through the alleys; almost chased by the energy blasts. It was not long that he started to pant, not used to this form of exersize anymore and passed into a clearing in the Goblin City. He slid on his feet to a stop, the sound would have been pleasent in normal circomstances. The attacks had stopped. He spun around still in a attack stance; he looked around him. He stood up straight.

"Heh," The Goblin King smirked. "Clever girl," he said.

Jareth stood right dead center of the Goblin City. He stood in a large area where the buildings stood far apart from the town's fountain, usually full of inhabitants in the market place, now silent. He was open for any attacks, espicially fatal ones; he was certain that she was capable.

He jumped out of the way of an orb, barely missing his foot. A few more followed, trailing in the ground before failing of hitting their mark. Stephanie was taking no chances it would seem, attacking continuisly; one energy ball actually boomeranged around the buildings, before missing the Goblin King.

'Is she tireing yet?' he wondered. He was now running through the City again; randomly throwing his own energy orbs. He heard a few times the girl letting short cries as she got hit. The attacks would stop momentarily and he was given the chance to regain some of his breath and time to think.

An energy beam dug a path, he only managed to backflip out of the way; he pushed himself off his hands and into another backflip. He then turned around as he reached one of the Labyrinth's corridors; he had passed the Goblin City gates a few moments before; the last time he saw Stephanie and her attacks was on a rooftop about two blocks away. Some of the houses were built so close together that it was easy for her to jump to and fro.

Jareth looked up as a voice called his name. Stephanie stood on a flat surface upon a goblin's home. The sudden breeze blew their hair around their faces.

"I'm through chasing you." her voice was clear against the thunder's angry roar; the only echo was the otherwordly that resonated in her voice. "Fight me fairly."

Jareth almost laughed. 'Wasn't I?' he asked thoughfully. "All right," he called back. In a flash hew threw a lightning filled crystal at Stephanie. The hit made her stumble back. When Stephanie regained her balance, she held out a hand, an orb just as dark as her clothes appeared; she threw the orb at Jareth's feet. He jumped up and landed gracefully on his feet upon the top of the Labyrinth's wall, one hand holding the wall's ledge. He looked back at the opposite wall behind him. It was a good five or six feet gap across. He knew he could make it, powers or not, it was difficult even Stephanie could not as so jump large distances without a running start and the prowness needed. He stood up, balancing on the foot wide structure. He then jumped to the next wall structure.

Stephanie's attacks stopped, a moment to collect herself before she disappeared from the rooftop and came out of an alley. She then approached the wall, her sandals lightly digging in the light colored hard dirt; she looked up at the Goblin King and placed a hand on the wall he (stood) on. The wall structure started shaking and loose bricks fell. It felt like a wave went through the wall before an explosion occured.

Another blast and explostion later, Stephanie stood upon the bricks, the explosion had created a "U" opening starting from the top. Before he could continue to the next corridor's ledge or create an attack or a forcefield, the girl had two glowing orbs in hand and threw them at Jareth. The orbs hit him with such speed adn force taht it drove him back and caused him to crash through the Labyrinth's wall. Before he could fall to the ground, Stephanie lept from the wall and jumped to the next hole, continuing throwing dark orbs; the Goblin King crashed through layers upon layers of stone of his Labyrinth.

Jareth clenched his teeth, his breath was knocked out of him and he was so close to losing consciousness. He crashed one last time before roughly hitting a wall and bounced against it; he slumped to the ground. His eyes closed and he felt himself losing the battle with the darkness. His head looled until his chin rested upon his chest; his blond hair fell into his face.

'Just for a moment,' he thought. His body ached and his chest burned to fill his lungs deeply with air. The Goblin King took another deep painful breath. He sensed the girl was only a few feet away making her way towards him. He sat there, collecting his thoughts and strength. His father was right; no matter the situation, taking a moment to strategize will always prove resourceful. His senses hightened and he felt all his aches but he managed to control his thoughts away from the pain; he heard the girl approach.

Stephanie pushed herself up from the opening and landed at Jareth's feet, a crystal above her head, ready to strike. The blue flames around the orb burned brightly. The Goblin King opened his eyes and pushed himself to his feet; magic aura surrounded his hands. His hands were a few inches apart and a beam started, heading straight for Stephanie. She cried painfully and flew back a few feet, bouncing off the ground and slid to a stop onto her stomach. The beam's aura started to surround her, lightning crackled around her body, zapping her. She tried getting up, but could barely lift her body more than a few inches off the ground.

Jareth walked over to the girl, or rather limped slightly. "You are strong. Strong indeed." he stopped next to her. "Makes me wonder how you got this power."

Stephanie glared at him as she continued to rise, cried out as the lightning stopped her. Her fingers were pressed tightly into the dirt. "This is only a setback. I shall be free of you trap." she struggled.

"This will keep you long enough." He sat on his haunches next to her. "Now," he started. "Answer a question if you may. How did you come across possesing this strength? I know you want to take over my realm but you can't just suddenly decide to do so and have the powers to make it a realization. So are you or aren't you working for someone?"

"Like I would tell you." she spat with a smile.

Jareth sighed. "Just humor me."

Stephanie laughed silently. "You know me well enough. No one is the boss of me. I don't work for anyone."

The Goblin King nodded with a frown. He looked her over and he was satisfied to see that at least a good percentage of his casting had actually hit their mark; although he didn't like the idea that he had to hurt someone that had helped him. He was figuring a way how she received this 'gift' and if he could find a weakness, a way to stop her. He had an idea but it was just a theory. A few more minutes and she'll be free, no doubt with the powers given to her. He watched her struggle for a moment and asked. "Care to share how you came across the powers you've received?"

"Heh," the short laugh escaped from her lips.

He frowned. "Thought so. Well," he stood up. He stretched his fingers and cracked his knuckles. "Time for another cast," he looked down, away from his fingers to the girl. "Sorry luv, can't have you running around destroying my realm anymore." he winked.

Stehphanie managed to move a hand; it moved the dirt under her arm with a soft shuffling sound. A flick of her wrist and a small beam flew upwards, missing Jareth's face bye a few inches; a few strands of hair that had been cut, floated down and landed on his boot.

"Hmm," he raised an elegant eyebrow. "You've managed to free yourself sooner than I've expected."

Stephanie pushed herself onto her palms and twisted her body around in order to kick the Goblin King's legs from under him. He stumbled back, a little surprised. Stephanie then stood up and quickly stood in a defense stance. The skirt of her dress brushed against the ground, creating swirls upon the sandy ground. A few sections of her dress was ripped and thick strands grazed the ground.

"Completly?" Jareth said, brushing himself off. "Interesting."

Stephanie blew a few of her longer strands of her bangs out of her eyes. Jareth stretched once more, getting ready. Again they stood silent, waiting. He was caught off guard when the girl darted towards him; her sandals had dug into the dirt as she pushed herself as she left. He stepped back and made a low sound of surprise. He knew she could run fast but this was ridiculous; it almost matched his own. His eyes followed just as quickly. Even in the small corridor, her movements were fast and hard to keep track.

His greenish-blue eyes widened as he felt a hand upon his back.

'This is going to hurt,' he thought to himself.


	10. You Have No Power Over Me

Chapter Nine: You Have No Power Over Me

* * *

No time to teleport safely, no time to morph into his owl form, no time to grab hold of the wall ledge he flew over. 

He caught glimpse a blurr of trees and hedges, felt the brush of the leaves and branches against his face. His arms and legs hit thick branches and he landed roughly onto his back on the ground. Blood seeped out a few cuts clearly visible through the dark clothes he wore. A thin line of blood ran out of the corner of his mouth. He licked at the darker shade of crimson and frowned at the coppery taste. It stung but not as bad as his other wounds. He slowly got up, wincing as he did, and ignored the pain throbbing through his body.

The wind picked up, rustling the leaves and almost mutted the thunder. The sky darkened and the sun was slowly setting; he did not want to battle in the dark. He was not worried about the time limit to take back his throne, not like the last mishap where they had barely made it. He had worked on that specifically before working on the shortcut. No one would be able to take over his throne that easily, he made sure of that; however this situation was indeed proven to be more difficult.

He heard footsteps not too far off and he knew it would not take her long to get over to where he was. An orb in hand he waited and listened.

Soon enough, Stephanie stepped into the clearing but quickly ducked behind a tree, expecting the attack. The tree was fairly thin but it was the closest to the entrance of the wall and that had offered some, but not very much, protection. When she ducked,  
she felt the air of a crystal orb brush against her leg.

Jareth kept throwing his own crystal like attacks and they shattered and dug themselves into the ground, some managed to trail against the walls. Burning and exploding, they hit the fragile tree trunk, shaking it of its pale green leaves.

Stephanie watched behind her, her back against the tree trunk. Short blasts followed and cut into the bark. She screamed once as splinters of bark fell upon her head and grazed her ears and neck. Soon the trunk would splinter completly, and she would need to find herself another shield. She wanted to conserve her powers to attack, she had no use wasting her powers on little shields. She was breathing hard and was slowly tireing. Her muscles were sore; they were not used to the strain of using magyck.

She looked to her right when there were no other attacks. She frowned. She saw only a few hedges, the current corridor walls they were between, they weren't much protection, flimsly at best like the tree she was trapped behind. She looked to her left with not much choice there either and then back ahead of her, to the solid stone wall in front of her. She frowned again and settled to go to her left where a thick looking enough hedge stood. A beam of energy shot by her left, so close that it made her loose hair fly forward with the force of the passing beam. She gasped.

"Damn," she muttered. He knew she was trying to reach a new protection. She stood up, becoming a smaller target behind the small tree. 'Throw an attack and then rush behind the hedge? No. Too obvious.' Her mind tried to strategize what moves he would do if she made her bolder ones.

"Screw it." she decided and dove towards the hedge. She quickly threw her quick attack. A few blasts from Jareth, followed. She landed on her stomach and clutched her upper arm, now quickly retreading behind the new barrier. She winced. It was a good hit. Blood flowed freely from a fair sized cut. Having barely and tolerance for pain and her own blood was an interesting task to stay conscious, even with the new found power flowing through her body. She cursed this weakeness bitterly.

Stephanie bit her lip, trying to fight the urge to pass out or throw up. This power was some advantage but it was still hard to concentrate when you felt sick to your stomach. 'Think of something else!' she snapped at her mind. She concentrated on an attack, a smaller crystal appeared and she managed to stand on Jell©o like legs. She saw no attacks from the Goblin King; his presence was known not too far away. She supposed he was conserving his energy as well. It was good that he was slowly weakening as well. Taking a deep breath, she opened her palm and the crystal few around her hiding spot and through the air towards the Goblin King.

This he blocked just as easily. He almost frowned. 'What's this?' he raised a quizzenal eyebrow. 'A weak attack?' Maybe in this state he'll be able to (subdue) her. He placed his hand together and then slid them apart where a crystal appeared. The crystal shot forward at Jareth's will and spread into an energy beam; it crashed through the hedge.

Stephanie did not have the time to react. Crashing through the hedge walls was just as bad as hitting the stone walls. They looked smooth and harmless all trimmed but it was a form of trees after all. The branches tore at her skin, she felt herself pass through many hedged corridors before sliding on her side. The attack was over.

She slowly got to her feet, every part of her body stung with extra cuts and scrapes, her muscles burned with her aches. A multitude of energy orbs came flying towards her like a tennisball shooter had shorten a circut. She braced for impact, arms at her eye level. The series of explosions shook the ground, causing loose bricks to fall and a few sections of the Labyrinth to fall apart, making wider corridors.

The dust settled and the Goblin King waited; hands on his thighs, out of breath but completly alert in case this attack did not stop her. 'Let's hope this at least slowed her down.' he thought. He was wondering why she didn't appear and soon approached the spot where she had stood.

Stephanie lay unmoving on her side. A few more cuts were on her arms and a few scratches were on her face. He could see that she was only knocked unconcsious. He nodded to himself. 'Let's hope this barrier will be stonger.' he thought. He took a deep breath and coughed terribly, his breath cut short. He winced bitterly when his fit ended. This prolonged game of cat and mouse was perhaps finally over? A voice then made him turn around.

Chantal by this time had rushed out of the castle through means of usual doorways with Serek on her shoulder; and ran towards the visually ongoing battle. OUt of the Goblin City, she kept her distance in case of attacks or debris gone awry came flying her way.

It was silent for a long time and she wondered who had won. she saw dust swirling around. She took the shortcut through the U openings, knowing it would take her longer the other way around. She didn't know what she would see once she got closer to where the action seemed to have stopped. She was climbing halfway in an opening when she saw light gleaming off blonde hair. She called to the Goblin King when she saw that he was not in an attacking or in a defence stance.

He turned around and he wearily waved back. It was over. She was glad, for this was way too much excitment for one being to bear. She- Movement was heard; cloth brushing against stone. Jareth spun around as Chantal had just entered the same corridor.

Jareth cursed himself under his breath at his own carelessness. He should have finished his spell and not get easily distracted; that was unlike him.

Stephanie moved and slowly sat up. A small moan esacped from her lips as she felt her new aches overlapping the dull ones. She shakily got to her feet and looked up; the headpiece remained floating firmly in place, undisturbed. She half leaned against a wall for support. She was tired but she was also stubborn. With her palms pressed firmly upon the stone wall, her hair swirled slightly and the walls and the ground started to rumble. From what Jareth could see, it was as though she sent(soundwaves) through the walls and it travelled to the stone flooring. The ground moved and rippled like water and moved like the waves; the stones oddly remained together. The stone wave rose and lifted Jareth in the air; he was inches from the wave before he quickly put his weight down. He stumbled and almost lost his balance as the stone wave decsended.

The ground shook and continued to rumble. Chantal fell back. The wave rose again, and lifted the girl in the air, her balance already lost, she (floated) in the air for a second as the wave fell back. In that second, she could see above the corridors, beyond the sections of the hedges, and a few places that were destroyed in the fray. She screamed as she started to fall.

A few feet before she hit the ground, she suddenly stopped, she had also stopped screaming. She looked to her right. Jareth had a hand out and with some form of his powers, had saved her from the nasty fall. He rushed over and the barrier let go but he caught her before she fell completly to the ground. He quickly set her to her feet as another attack came from Stephanie and was heading their way. He managed to slow it down. He glanced at the girl next to him and then shifted his eyes to the opening Stephanie had created in the wall.

The next attack was too fast for Chantal's eyes to keep track, for the Goblin King had rushed towards her deeply changed friend. He needed one chance, now that Chantal was here; hopefully she understood his signal. There was no time to explain, even then, he would had to yell over the rumbling of the attack; some where quite fierce.

He threw a glowing orb, one as clear as his usual ones; it shook the ground and trailed (tunnels) in one wall. Stephanie caught this and used this other attack to her advantage. He then created a forcefield, one large enough to cover both Chantal and him; his feet slid on the ground from the force. He had no choice, it was too close. He glanced at Chantal again, silently urging her to understand the plan or at least do something to help him.

Chantal was thinking deeply at Jareth's quick eye signals and seem to understand somewhat. She knelt and picked up a brick that had fallen from the walls, passing one to her shoulder dragon. Serek chirped. She then stood up and threw the brick at Stephanie.  
The brick bounced off Stephanie's back, making her turn around sharply, an annoyed expression came across her features. Serek dropped the brick he carried in his tiny but strong claws, which hit her squarely on the shoulder before hitting the ground.

"What an annoyance!" Stephanie hissed. Her expression then changed to an almost eerie calm. "Foolish girl, didn't I warn you to go back home?"

"I can't." said Chantal. "I won't let you go on."

"Heh," Stephanie smirked. "Then I'll rid of you as well."

"No! This must stop!" Chantal yelled and suddenly ran forward, tackling Stephanie. Both girls fell roughly to the ground.

"Get off!" Stephanie yelled and struggled to push Chantal off who was trying to keep her pinned to the ground. Chantal felt a foot press against her stomach before she flew off Stephanie, bouncing once on the ground, clutching her stomach. She watched as Stephanie stood up.

"Foolish girl," she repeated, an eerie smirk appeared on the girl's thin lips as she held a blue flaming orb, ready to strike.

Chantal's eyes widened.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist and held it in a strong grip. The orb vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. Her arm was held tightly against and around her waist, her fingers in claws as though threatening the person behind. Jareth grabbed Stephanie's other arm before she could do a single attack and placed it around her waist atop the other. Chantal's distraction had given Jareth the chance to regain some of his strength back and to move quickly, unfortunate Chantal had gotten hurt in the process; but it was enough for Stephanie to become unaware of the Goblin King for that particular moment. Now she looked back at him with narrowed eyes.

"Release me!" Stephanie said, her voice vibrated agains the walls. She was struggling, more annoyed than enraged that she was caught off guard. He held fast; he was physically stronger than she was. She tried to elbow him in the stomach but the way he kept her captive was difficult and clearly impossible. He could feel her powers starting up again and it won't be long before she manages to gather enough to free herself again. Her hair started to rise up, her pendant swung as she struggled. She even tried to dig her heels into his feet, she was trying anything to free herself from his grip.

"Chantal!" the Goblin King barked.

The girl he called quickly stood up. The colorful dragon landed nearby and awaited orders should the King need his assistance.

"The crystal - around her neck-" he himself was struggling. "Destroy it!"

Chantal sprinted and almost mananged to grab the pendant. She tried again when Jareth (managed) to turn around, after lifting Stephanie off the ground. "Hurry!"

This time Chantal succeded.

The silver chain broke free as she pulled. She threw the pendant down and smashed it with the heel of her shoe. The glass shattered with a odd melody of (tinkling). A small gasp escaped from Stephanie and Jareth felt the girl go rigid. From Chantal's view, she could see Stephanie's eyes go wide and that the colors kept changing from crimson to her usual brown. She weakly contined to struggle as the color fought and switch to take over her eyes.

'The crystal did have some sort of hold on her,' he thought. 'Now I can finish this.' He turned the girl around, grabbed the headpiece that floated inches from her forehead and tossed it away; it bounced off the ground with a metallic echo. He had no nned to tell Chantal to step away. He also hoped that this would actually work. In fact, he had never tried (it) out; for one thing, he'd never had this situation before. He wasn't sure what the effects would be.

He took a deep breath. Stephanie stared at him, as though unable to move, barely struggling now. He trailed a symbol on her forehead, it was actually the same kind of scritpture Chantal had seen on the puzzle board they've encountered. "In'e lor ma'ateh" he muttered under his breath.

"What are you doing?" Stephanie asked, some form of panic appeared not only on her face but in her tone as well. She struggled again. He didn't reply.

As soon as his finger left her forehead she began feeling an icy warmth trailing over the skin of her forehead. She felt dizzy and it felt like water was leaving her body starting from her arms to her fingers, it trailed through her skin, up the rest of her body before accumelating at her fingertips. She continue to feel the liquid seep out of her skin. It felt odd to her but she couldn't really tell if the strange warmth was real. She wasn't imagining, in fact, there was liquid, a dark substance as thick as blood running down her arms. Jareth felt the substance pass under his fingers as he held Stephanie by the arms. To Chantal it looked as though the 'evil' weas getting clensed out of her body. (But who can tell for sure that it will forever be gone? No evil or dark side can ever leave someone right? It was always with thme.)

"Why do - I - I feel strange..." Stephanie mumbled. She started to fall back, her arms went limp at her sides, her odd colored eyes became unfocused and soon rolled up into her head. Her breathing became rapid as more of the dark liquid fell from her fingers and created black splatters or splotches, gathering in a pool by Stephanie's and the Goblin King's feet.

"Stop - it burns," Stephanie said barely over a whisper. "...burns..."

Jareth waited until the flow of the dark liquid stopped and the last drop fell from her fingertips. The substance lightned and slowly evaporated until not one trace remained.

It would be a long and tedious thing to inform the Elders.

* * *

There are things in () that I wasn't too sure on the spelling and all since I don't have a computer nor thesaurus. I'm posting this up as is for now, until someone points out mistakes which I'll eventually get to. Also the language that Jareth speaks (his native tongue) is still wonky on what it means and everything, I'm trying to get a feelfor elvish/fay tongues and just basically wrote out what sounded wycked. So if in the future you try to keep track on how many times I've used a word or haven't used it, I'm sorry. ; Double spaces means time has passed. I"ll get to fixing it in previous chapters and stories.  
So please be kind to my mistakes for the last chapters until I get more than a an hour access to a computer. ; 


	11. After the Storm

Chapter Ten:

* * *

Jareth faltered where he stood. He suddenly looked very exhausted and the signs of battle appeared not only in his expression but on his clothes as well; they were tattered or torn in numerous places. Cuts covered his face and arms and perhaps every other inch of his body, along with hidden bruises. It was surprising that he had no broken bones or none visible that Chantal could tell. 

The thunder had stopped rumbling and the sky had become clear. Chantal rushed over. "Is she-?" she started.

Stephanie's head was back, her hair overflowed over the Goblin King's arms. Her own arms were hanging at her sides.

"Doing better than I am." he replied with a faint smile.  
"She'll be out for a while. Long enough hopefully." Chantal still looked worried; for both of them.

Jareth winced terribly as he lifted the girl in his arms. He seemed to pause for a moment before turning around. "Follow me," he said to the other girl as he started making his way towards the castle. He wondered if he should just use what strength he had left to teleport to the castle. It would be easier but he was too weary.

* * *

Jareth stumbled. 

Halfway to the Goblin City, he had finally decided to get to the castle by means of teleportation. It took a toll especially with two extra people in his state. He felt completly drained. He was not used to these battles anymore; it has been a while indeed.

Chantal noticed that they had made it to the throne room. She had gotten used to the way of teleporting from their realm to the Underground. The throne room was a disaster; Stephanie had certainly created a lot of damage. The room no longer looked the same nor held the same, dull as it was, brilliance and familiarity.  
It was like a set under construction.

The Goblin King barely glanced around the room as he passed silently into a hallway. He was walking down a long corridor. Chantal quickly followed Jareth. After passing through another series of maze like hallways for a few moments, they reached large onyx double doors where two slightly taller goblins were guarding each side.

"Would you-?" Jareth barked at the goblins, seeing as they made no move to open the doors. He indicated with a slight tilt of his head that his hands were full. Startled they quickly pushed the heavy doors open lightly bowing as he and Chantal passed by. Jareth spoke to one of the guards, his tone a bit harsh for their lazyness before entering the room.

Chantal was amazed at the decor of the room they entered. She looked around as Jareth was heading to the other side of the room. Large stones continued to make up the wall, like the rest of the castle, but were a paler shade of grey. Chantal couldn't depict what were the Goblin King's royal colors on the faded drapes that covered a few sections of the room, some were tied back to reveal windowless glass. A fireplace stood in a section of the room, no fire burned. A decor of weapon and shield covered in dust was hanging over the fireplace. Before it was sofa like structure and a finely crafted cushioned chair with a round table in between; an empty goblet lay on the table to which Chantal took an innocent peek. A small desk stood near a window close to the fireplace as well. Dusty books and scrolls along with their casings lay scattered, an inkwell with a feather pen held a few loose parchments in place. A large crystal, the same that was in the throne room, sat at the opposite side of the room. The room was not a perfect square but it was quite spacious, bigger than all her downstairs back home. She mentioned this aloud.

Jareth lightly laughed. He had walked over to the bed that stood in one section of the large room, not too far from the fireplace and placed Stephanie upon the dark covers. Her head rested on one of the many pillows and cushions. The bed was simple, yet with the covers it looked elegant. A symbol was etched into the stone above the head of the bed; it was the same symbol as Jareth's pendant and the crest that was above the fireplace; and was followed with elaborate designs of shaply vines.

He walked around the bed and finally sat exhausted in one of the finely crafted chair, more decorated than the last, facing the unconcsious girl sideways. Silence filled the room as they sat taking it in. Chantal petted Serek thoughtfully. Finally one of them spoke.

"Are you all right? Injured at all?" the Goblin King asked, his voice low, tired.

It took a moment for Chantal to reply and Jareth was about to ask again. "Yeah. I'm fine." she looked over to Jareth. "A few bruises and scrapes but nothing too serious."

"Good. I'm glad that it's nothing serious." he replied,  
shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "I have a dislocated shoulder I want you to help me with." he winced, the pain was becoming very unbearable, if he didn't do something about it he would likely pass out as well.

"What!" Chantal got off the corner of the bed where she sat near her friend and headed towards the Goblin King.

He slightly held out his right arm. "On three, pull as hard as you can," he instructed. Chantal nodded and grabbed his hand and wrist.

"One...tw -"

Chantal had pulled. The sound of bones snapping was heard. Jareth grunted fiercly, he had gritted his teeth as his shoulder was put back in place. His shoulder roared in firey pain. He took a moment to still the pain and the sickness he felt before nodding his thanks with a sore wince. It will do.

"You're bleeding!" Chantal exclaimed. She had removed her hands and they were imprinted with his darker shade of blood.

"I think I also have a few broken ribs," Jareth laughed loudly which caused him to cough painfully. Chantal had widen her eyes at that remark. He regained composure and smiled painfully. A small sweat broke over his skin. "Strong stubborn girl," he said.

"Which was bad for us." Chantal smiled back. "Anything else broken?" she quickly looked him over, finding only smaller cuts, scrapes and the start of a few bruises.

"Other than my ribs and my pride?" Jareth joked, he caught a cough before it turned into another fit.

"Yes. But we were caught off guard. How were we to know?" Chantal said trying to lighten the situation. She smiled helpfully at the Goblin King. He nodded. She wasn't sure if it did help. "Now stop joking around before you die of a coughing fit." she laughed.  
He did a face.

A knock on the already open doors was heard; they hadn't bothered to come back to close them and the guards had become lazy surely; a few thin goblins in pale attire were in the doorway. The material they wore was light and flowed freely as they moved quickly about. Their tall, thin structure was more delicate than the normal goblins, almost if they were a faery version of a goblin. Three of them held wooden boxes in their long fingers and most of them had leather pouches tied to the golden braided belts they wore.

"Yes?" the Goblin King looked up and then gestured for the odd mix of a creature to enter. They were silent but quickly seperated into two small groups. Chantal was unsure but saw that they were looking over her cuts. She realized that they were like medics from her realm.

"They will give you an ointment to help heal more quickly and reduce infections." Jareth said as his own small group tended to his wounds. He winced when one pressed a little too hard. "Ankeh" he said a bit too harshly to the goblin.

Chantal glanced back to her wounds. "Ow!" she said. The goblin gave her a look of apology. As they worked, they spoke amongst themselves in hushed tones. The ointment they used to clean the wounds was bright blue, it actually had the same texture of a gel toothpaste; it smelled a little like the spearmint used for the plaque fighting substance. She smirked at how amusing that was. She also caught another smell of an herb mixed into it which she couldn't quite place her finger on. The medical team of goblins moved quickly about, they barely felt their light touches as they bandaged their wounds. When the goblins were done, they stood next to Jareth awaiting for the others to finish or for some other orders.

"Lu'umo, lu'umo!" Jareth gestured to the girl on the bed.  
Chantal watched them for a moment before turning back to Jareth, who was lightly arguing with one of the goblins. He caught her gaze. He rolled his eyes and puffed out his cheeks comically with air before realising it in annoyance. She laughed softly.

"Mat'e del'oh. Ita'no." He finally laughed as he urged the helpful goblins when they were finally finished, across the large chamber and out the doors. Closing the doors, he remained leaning on them for a minute. "They mean well and are very helpful at what they do, but they do not care who's authority they are under to get their job done." he grinned. "Loyal, but stubborn." He walked to one section of the room. Chantal asked if this room was the main chamber.

"Yes. It is my chambers." Jareth replied. Being no more than in white bandages that covered his chest, he dug around in a hidden armoire covered by long thick curtains. He then disappeared behind the heavy curtain. He explained that the guest rooms were...a little too dusty to be occupied. "Haven't been used in years," he added with a short laugh before appearing with a fresh set of clothes on. He asked if she wanted to change but she had replied that she only had a small tear in her clothes and that it would not bother her. He nodded and slowly set himself down in his chair again.

"What the hell happened out there? And how was it all possible?" Chantal finally said when the words could finally form the jumbled emotion and thoughts she felt.

Jareth shifted uncomfortably in his seat again. "My thoughts exactly. I haven't got an answer for them unfortunatly." He paused. "That dark crystal she had around her neck might have something to do with it; it couldn't be the one that was in the throne room because it had been destroyed during the battle. I believe the pendant brought forth emotions that were kept hidden and it fed some sort of magyks from within the sphere. Holding her under a spell or perhaps some sort of control." he shrugged as Chantal patted Serek's head. "Spell bindings comes to mind."

"Hypnosis? It could be. I was thinking along those terms." Chantal nodded.

"I'll know more on these theories once I get another view and expertise. I'll know more for certain." he took his time rising from his chair, stopping halfway to stop a coughing fit. He wiped at his brow before continuing. "I must get some more of my medicinal supplies for the Trilds. Espicially sedatives." He winced.

"Where?" asked Chantal, also rising to her feet.

"A village not too far from here. Ke'l. A few of the medicinal herbs are rare and are of magical substances. They are cultivated by the villagers there who travel far distances for them." he explained a little more. He had returned to the hidden armoire and was preoccupied by searching for something specific. "Once I settle that, I can inform Kolbl, the one I'll be asking advice from, tell him the event that had taken place. However he'll need proof and for that I must take Stephanie with me." He finished fastening a dark grey shirt. He turned back to the armoire, digging deeper into it. "He just arrived from a long travel and I'm not going to make him travel some more." He took out another item hanging on a hanger, frowned and returned it to its proper place.

"What about me?" Chantal asked.

"I want you to join me and meet him as well. I also want him to look you over for a theory I had, but it might be really nothing." There he was, talking in riddles again and confusing Chantal but she didn't want to ask what his "theories" were. Chantal looked at Stephanie instead whose slender arms were half covered in bandages.

"Would it be wise to be moving Steph?"

"She does not have any serious injuries, so I believe it's quite all right." He then turned his back to her and spoke into the crystal that stood across the room. Chantal squinted curiously to see who he was speaking to. From the words she caught, which was in English, she heard instructions for preparing for a riding journey.

"I know it's close to nightfall, but we need to make haste in case she awakens and the 'evil' does return." He suddenly had a look as though he had just remembered something and he passed in front of Chantal, grabbing something off the desk and scribbled something with the feathered quill. "Unconscious or not. I've taken a chance getting us stitched up. I'm too weak to teleport and quite frankly it's too far for me to do so in either state." He returned to the armoire and brought out a armfull of dark material. He handed one of the garments to Chantal. It was dark green in color and vine like pattern was embroided in darker shade of green thread. "It will get cold later. I suggest you wear this."

"Thanks." Chantal proceeded to put on the soft cloak. "A little musty, but it fits great." she smiled.

"Good." he nodded. "Follow Shmendrick. He will lead you to the stables and get you ready." he snapped his fingers when he neared the chamber doors. A goblin entered, clad in tan breeches and a green shirt. "I'll catch up to you once I prepare Stephanie."

"'Tay." Chantal nodded and started to follow the unarmored goblin. Jareth watched her leave as he finished slipping on his own dark cloak over his grey shirt, and fixed the high collar. It lightly brushed against the stone floor.

The Goblin King took a moment before placing Stephanie in a similiar cloak. He then mutttered a few words under his breath, not in a curse but in a charm. He knew that if he didn't double check a cast, he would never hear the end from his old mentor.

"Wished you hadn't injuree my shoulder luv." he said as he slung Stephanie over his good shoulder, no matter it still caused him to wince and gasp terribly. Her knees lightly bumped into his ribs and he held his breath painfully. "Stubborn girl," he shook his head after the pain subsided. He let out a slight laugh before heading out of his room. The girl's arms swung slightly, hitting his back.

* * *

I'm not all that great in explaining castle rooms. So I hope you bear with me but if anyone can help me out a little bit it'll be great and just inform me if you want credit for it as well.  
Also I can't think of a chapter title. I know I wrote it before that it didn't seem to go well with it. Suggestions will be appreciated. If you see mistakes please let me know. :le sigh: If you see coding I'm really sorry. I'm working on an ancient computer and converting is a pain, so bear with me. 


	12. Friends Reunited

Chapter Eleven: Friends Reunited

* * *

Á  ÁChantal pat the horse's face and smiled. "Pretty." she said. As she waited for the Goblin King, she saw that the horses, two in fact, were packed lightly; a small water flask, a larger pouch perhaps containing food portions and other last minute provisions. She wondered what will happen once they reached Ke'l. 

Á  Á"I'd rather have a night's rest and leave in the morning," a voice startled her. The reply was close to answering her next thoughts. She spun around.

Á  Á"Stop doing that!" she snapped.

Á  Á"I'm sorry." Jareth said sincerly. "Bad habit, like I said."

Á  Á"Yeah, I know." Chantal sighed. He placed the unconscious girl onto one of the horse that Shmendrick had taken out of the stables;  
a dark stallion, as black as midnight. Jareth made sure she remained atop of the horse and wasn't going to fall over the moment he turned around. Her head rested upon the stallion's. Her face buried in the mane.

Á  Á"They're really tame." Chantal remarked and the Goblin King nodded.

Á  Á"It's normally a day's ride from here," he started, no intention of changing the subjects. "Even so, we'll be moving as though we are pressed for time. I'm not taking any more chances" He placed a foot in the stirrup and swung his other leg over the saddle. He reached behind his back and placed the dark hood over his head, covering his spiky blonde hair. If Stephanie was awake she would have made a crack at Jareth's neglect for his hair.

Á  ÁChantal nodded and got on her own transportation, a brown mare. "Ready?" he asked, turning around in his seat.

Á  Á"Almost," Chantal said, settling in her own seat. She took another moment to get comfortable; it was clear she was not used to riding horses. Serek perched himself upon her shoulder, wrapping his tail around her neck. "'Tay." she said at last. Her hood remained on her back, she wanted to feel the remaining sun on her skin now that the teasing thunder and lightning had subsided. She grabbed hold of the leather reins.

Á  ÁJareth clicked his tongue and his horse began to move forward. Chantal coaxed hers to move and to follow close behind. The horse stayed where she was and refused to move. Jareth smirked. He turned around.

Á  Á"AnÀ)Àe!" he said, sounding more like a comical scolding. The mare beneath Chantal trotted next to him.

"Thanks." she said with a laugh. He nodded with a low chuckle.

Á  ÁThe horses trotted at a moderate pace. Earlier, they had rushed through a secret passageway beneath the castle, completly bypassing the Labyrinth. Chantal had closed her eyes as they ran through the oubliette like tunnels; if they were going to crash she did not want to see it. Racing along, they had no time to really speak; being unable to hear over the horses' hooves, but now they rode in silence. They were able to absorb the scenery acound them;  
it was quite different compared to the usual structure of the Labyrinth.

Á  ÁThey had entered a forest with a main pathway. The sunset was a couple of hours away. Before long, the riders took a small break.  
Chantal was not used to riding and for so long, and the Goblin King, who had been riding uncomfortably, was content for the break.  
The frequent coughing was proof of how hard the ride was for him. His shoulder continued to throb and his chest burned with every breath he took.

Á  ÁAs they had a small meal of bread, meat and water, Jareth gave a bit of history of the part of the realm they were resting in. Apparently one of the great wars had taken place in the area and lasted for a long time.

Á  Á"Several months, if I remember correctly. Not as long as the other wars I've seen, which was years." Jareth said, slowly breaking another piece of his small loaf. He explained that it was when he was younger and his father was the king. A wave of nostalgia came over him and he was silent.

Á  Á"Where is your father now?" Chantal asked softly.

Á  ÁThe Goblin King turned to her, awaken from his reverie. "He passed away."

Á  Á"I'm sorry." Chantal said. "In the war?" she asked a moment later.

Á  Á"No. He overcame the enermy forces and was victorious." Jareth stood up, brushing the crumbs of his meal away. "He died years later." he said.

Á  Á"Ah." Chantal nodded. She wanted to ask more questions about the realm, the history of it and how Jareth did become King, but Jareth suggested resuming their journey.

Á  ÁThe sun had finally set but the sky remained clear and witheld the remaining sunlight's rays. He coughed lightly and stretched in his seat, soon they would have to race off again. They were closeÔh)000°°Ô to reaching their destination. Two hours at most.

Á  ÁAt one point, Stephanie had woken. They held their breath expecting the worse. What she had mumbled made them relax. Jareth wasn't sure what 'that girl' had mumbled about, something about a 'bahs pass' before she passed out again. He wasn't sure what that was. Curiousity had gotten the best of him; he asked Chantal who giggled.

Á  Á"It's a mode of transportation back home. Like a carriage but for a bunch of people and we have to pay in order to get around"  
she explained.

Á  Á"I see." Jareth mused. The girl in front of him remained silent, her head bouncing with the soft trotting. He coughed suddenly again and fought the fit building in his chest.

Á  Á"Are you okay?" Chantal asked alarmed.

Á  ÁHe nodded as he cleared his throat. "Yes. I'll be better once we reach Ke'l. The Trilds, the goblins, have helped but I think I have more damage that they can handle." he had not mean for her to worry by this statement but it failed. "I'm fine, really. I've been in worse conditions."

Á  Á"Okay then." Chantal replied slowly.

Á  ÁThey rode on, silent once again, waiting for Jareth to remember the path and for him to settle his coughing fits before getting the horses to run. A large raven had been following them since they had first made rest, it made no noise other than the batting of its wings overhead.

Á  Á"Soon we are going to urge them to move quickly again." he said as they moved around tight paths.

Á  Á"Okay." Chantal said. "So, who are we going to see? You weren't really specific."

Á  Á"An old mentor of mine." the Goblin King replied, he coaxed his horse to take a sharp right. He ducked under low branches, a hand over Stephanie's closed eyes. "He was well known in my father's court as a great advisor." he trailed. "But as time passed, he wanted to travel, explore the realm again in its changes. He 'retired' a long time ago from my own services. I didn't want to keep him confined to my castle, if I did need his guidance I would have to find him. It's as simple as that." He smiled. "Fortunatly, he decided to stay in Ke'l for a while."

Á  Á"Yeah, lucky for us." Chantal agreed.

Á  Á"He might have a theory or explanation to what has happened.  
We can sort through theories and ideas there." he finished. He nodded mostly to himself.

* * *

Á  ÁThe sky darkened a bit and Jareth suggested that they should resume to quikly beat the darkness. The horses moved rapidly, they snorted as they ran, their breath unseen in the cool air. 

Á  ÁChantal could see faint light, it came from the dim glow of fires and torches. It wasn't long before the familiar crackling sound of a large fire was heard. Faint voices talked amongst each other as they neared to what looked like a small village. It was fairly populated. From where she sat, Chantal could barely make out the solid structure of the buildings; they were sparse and cleverly camouflaged in thick foliage; some of the dwellings were actually treehouses.

Á  ÁThe Goblin King and the girl were stopped as they arrived at a gate like opening. A burning torch was held up to have a better view of their faces. The guard asked something Chantal couldn't understand, she concluded that it was in Jareth's tongue. He replied in the same soft silky spoken language. She only understood "Jareth" when he answered. The horses began to move again and the guards lightly bowed and stepped aside to let them pass into the village.

Á  ÁEven in the oncoming darkness, the leaves gleamed a bright green. Her attention wandered to the curious inhabitants who glanced up from their early evening routines; a few disregarded them but others let their curiousity take over. A few murmurs passed amongst them, some pointed to Chantal's clothes.

Á  ÁAs Chantal neared a curiously twisted tree shaped hut, she turned around to get a better look at the villagers. She almost gasped aloud and fell off her horse.

Á  ÁPointed ears. Elves.

Á  ÁShe felt giddy and fought the urge to quickly get down from her horse and tug on their ears to make sure they were real. Her hazel eyes glittered. Their skin were slightly tanned and their frames were slender and delicate. Every eye shone in a deep shade of either purple or fushia. Their hair, in varying styles were either silver or a pale blueish grey.

Á  Á"Elves," she whispered still in disbelief. She didn't think she was going to see any of these beautiful beings up close. How she wished she could take some sort of proof or memory back home with her. Shame Stephanie was missing out at that moment.

Á  Á"Lanei'ns." Jareth said. "They are a certain race of elven sprytes."

Á  Á"Amazing!" Chantal replied. She giggled at a few little children sprytes that were ushered into their homes. She then wondered why they had stopped in front of the odd shaped cabin and was about to ask this to Jareth but a soft spoken voice stopped her question on her lips.

Á  Á"E min'ai Ja'reth imm ano." a tall male spryte appeared from a hut across from them. His silver hair was long and pulled back from his face, it reached past the center of his back and was tied with a decorative band with a symbol.

Á  Á"Taa'mo he'anÀ)À hito." Jareth replied as he pushed back his hood to reveal his mane of wild hair. Chantal wondered if they spoke in the same language; the king's tongue or if it belonged to the Lanei'ns. It all sounded like a soft sigh or a whisper especially at the H's.

Á  ÁA few villagers did a few quick bows as they passed the two beings on horses; three if they counted the unconscious shadow. A silent spryte came over and helped Stephanie down from the horse and he disappeared into the twisted cabin. Jareth had already gotten down once Stephanie was safely inside. Chantal noticed a short haired female was waiting for her to dismount the horse, holding out her hands for the reins. Chantal lightly stretched, getting some feeling flowing into her legs again.

Á  Á"We've come to seek council with Kolbl." Jareth said finally in English as the two beings held a grip at their wrists in a greeting.

Á  Á"About the events that took place today?" the Lanei'n asked in perfect English; safe for a faint accent.

Á  Á"Yes. And about the girl that lies in there." Jareth pointed to the right with his thumb.

Á  Á"I see." the spryte nodded. "Kolbl will be here shortly. Please sit down, eat and have some refreshments." he gestured for them to enter the cabin. The spryte turned to Chantal. "Welcome to Ke'l. I am Teh're. he smiled.

Á  Á"Chantal." the girl replied.

Á  Á"Well met." Teh're said, his purple eyes smiled. He had handed the reins of Jareth's horse to the one that had taken Chantal's away.

Á  Á"Teh're has been my friend since childhood." Jareth explained. Chantal smiled.

Á  ÁTeh're had now noticed a few minimal battle injuries; scratches upon hands, arms and faces. He turned to Jareth. "Had a battle did you?" he smirked.

Á  Á"Indeed. And an interesting one at that." Jareth wanted to get things moving. "I'm not only here to seek council, but I need a few medicinal items that I've run out; and some immediatly." he shifted uncomfortably to show emphasis.

Á  Á"What about the Trilds?"

Á  Á"They did what they possibly could."

Á  Á"Well, while we're waiting for Kolbl to arrive, I might as well look at your more serious injuries." He stood in the doorway of the twisted hut, the one they had brought Stephanie in. The doorway was made of a thick chestnut brown cloth; he pulled it back to let Jareth and Chantal pass through.

Á  ÁThe hut was fairly large. There was a cot in one corner partly hidden by curtained doorway; which was currently occupied. The main room consisted of a table, a few wooden chairs and shelves that went around the room were filled with odd tubes, vials and containers of unknown herbs and elements; used perhaps more than medical purposes. The room was lit by a small fireplace.

Á  ÁTeh're placed a small cauldron filled with water to hang above the fire. He gestured for them to have a seat. Jareth slowly eased himself onto a chair, his good arm resting upon the table; the evening's ride made his aches cry out in firey pain.

Á  ÁChantal sipped at her water she had recently asked for. She let her gaze wander to a few inhabitants that passed the window.  
The spryte continued in the odd but intriguing language and Jareth replied, once pointing to Stephanie. She wondered if all knew how to speak English. She asked this aloud and Teh're replied that they knew several languages from their own realm, mostly to speak with merchants, but English or any languages from the mortal realm was rare to them.

Á  Á"Well it was rare, now it is used more frequent. I speak all of your languages fluently because I travel there more often than the rest of my realm." Jareth explained.

Á  ÁTeh're's eyes had travelled to Chantal's clothes. "What strange clothing. You're not a mortal from here, true?" he mused.

Á  Á"No, I'm not." Chantal replied, looking down at her running shoes. She scruntched up her toes inside.

Á  Á"They've come from the mortal realm. The same as the ones who've made the wishes."

Á  Á"Usually they stay in the Labyrinth and not wandering about,  
especially so far away." Teh're chuckled.

Á  ÁJareth mocked his laugh. "This time is diffirent; they weren't given powers and bent on destroying half my kingdom."

Á  Á"Ah, I see." Teh're said. He turned around for a moment and quickly grabbed an object from across the room. "Now, let us have a look." said Teh're as he returned from observing the water that was had slowly come to a boil.

Á  Á"I've a few deep wounds which had already been dressed," the Goblin King said as he removed his jacket and shirt. "I'm positive I've also a few craked ribs and my shoulder is dislocated; she helped to set it back but I need a final pull to place it." he gestured to Chantal.

Á  Á"She did rather well." Teh're said as he inspected Jareth's shoulder. Chantal smiled shyly. Jareth winced as he was examined.  
"You've three broken ribs from my inspection," he finally said after a moment, finishing looking Jareth over. "Whenever you're ready, I can replace your shoulder."

Á  Á"Now would be fine." Jareth said and Teh're nodded. He pushed on a section of Jareth's shoulder and pulled his arm in an odd angle, it was followed by a series of bone craking and popping sounds. A cry escaped from the Goblin King.

Á  ÁTeh're proceeded to pour water from the hot cauldron into a small water basin and started to take a few objects from a nearby shelf, he then placed them on the table, next to the cloth bandages he recently brought down. In a ceramic like mortar, he placed a few herbs he had taken from a clear bottle and started to crush them with a pestle. Once satisfied, he emptied the contents into the water and slowly stirred until it had disolved. Wringing out the cloth he had set in the water, he placed it on Jareth's shoulder.  
A small wince and finally a small relieved sigh escaped from Jareth. The herbs that Teh're had mixed into the steaming water worked like a compress.

Á  Á"Better?" Teh're asked.

Á  Á"Much." Jareth sighed, he closed his eyes.

Á  Á"You have a wound that has opened." Teh're informed, pressing a cloth against Jareth's back, he removed it to see that blood had seeped out from the bandages and had nearly soaked the cloth he held. Jareth frowned for more than one reason.

Á  ÁTeh're was now searching amongst the shelves, bringing a vial to inspect it, seemed unsatisfied and returned it to its original place. He continued to dig around, crossing the room to look on another shelf. "Ha!" he finally said as he jumped down from a chair he used to climb and neared the table with a round vial in his hand, half filled with thick amber liquid.

Á  ÁA groan escaped from the Goblin King.

Á  ÁTeh're laughed out loud. He placed the vial onto the table as he stood before Jareth. Chantal gave a confused look. "How old are you Jareth?" he continued to laugh as he uncorked the vial.

Á  Á"It does not matter!" came a grumbled answer.

Á  ÁTeh're laughed and turned to Chantal. "This here is Folaien roots. It has an odd odour but it works rather well." He let Chantal take a small sniff. The auroma was strong like incense,  
there was Earth, mixed with fruit and something that would taste bitter if it were made to eat. It was quite strange indeed. She frowned a little and held back a sneeze. "When Jareth was a child" Teh're continued to explain. "he never liked the smell and from his reaction he still cannot stand it." he chuckled and Chantal joined the spryte.

Á  Á"Yes, well...put the rancid stuff already!" Jareth snapped, making a face. Chantal giggled.

Á  ÁA few moments passed before wounds were dressed again, soothing ointment placed on bruises and smaller cuts. Jareth was given some painkillers in forms of redish herbs mixed into a cup of hot tea. The tea and herbs soothed their aches even for a little bit.

Á  Á'His coughing had stopped,' Chantal thought. That was good.

Á  ÁThey waited for the Elder to arrive; as Jareth had explained to Chantal. Kolbl was an Elder, a wise being, belonging to a sect and they governed order and monitered the realm's activities; although Jareth was the rightful ruler, he still had his help through advisors and such.

Á  Á"Besides, he's the only Elder that is the nearest right now." Jareth smirked.

Á  Á"So what has been going on over there?" Teh're asked, returning a fresh lot of water to boil over the fire and then taking a seat on the opposite side of the table.

Á  Á"I'd rather explain when Kolbl arrives so I'd not repeat myself, old friend."

Á  ÁTeh're nodded and blew on his own cup of the hot beverage, absent of the healing herbs. "Then how about telling me how you came across these girls? Something you won't mind repeating."

Á  Á"Well, it certainly wasn't by a wish being granted." Jareth started. "Lost crystals from what I've determined,"

* * *

I couldn't decide on the chapter title. Either "Friends Reunited"  
or "A Meeting With Old Friends", I'm not really happy with the title right now. Did I get Teh're's medical tools right? I can't remember which is which and the dictionaries I've went through are not very helpful. Let me know. Also I'm not good at describing Elven villages but I tried a few random references and mixed into what I had in mind. I know it's not much but it will get better once the saga continues...I think. :lol: Again sorry for the coding, I will have more time to fix it all over again; but for now try to ignore andkeep reading. lolOne line: passage of time, double: my notes and end of chapter.  
Gods, I've got to get myself a Beta©reader. ; 


	13. Elders Intrigued

Chapter Twelve: Elders Intrigued

* * *

Á  ÁThe sound of cloth being pushed aside was heard behind Jareth and Chantal. TehÀÀre rose to his feet as a figure entered the hut. 

Á  Á"Ah Teh're," a soft but deep voice greeted.

Á  Á"Master Kolbl." Teh're said in English and nodded returning the greeting. "We have guests."

Á  ÁJareth, old boy." the figure named Kolbl said. The Elder wore a navy blue robe with a hood, a few decorative desings covered the back and the middle front; Chantal noticed as he neared the table,  
that Jareth's emblem was at the center of his back. The color of Kolbl's robe was a change of color compared to Teh're earthy tones of green, brown and tan. His face was slightly squared, his skin was pale but not as pale as Jareth's; it was slightly tanned from his recent travels. His cool green eyes were brought out by the robe and the light blue markings on the side of his face and neck.  
His short cropped ivory hair gleamed gold in the fire's light. From Chantal's perspective, he looked as though he was in his mid fifties.

Á  Á"It has been a long time since I've seen you last Jareth"  
Kolbl said, his voice was deep and showed no sigh of his age.

Á  Á"Indeed." Jareth replied. "You have enjoyed your travels I've taken?"

Á  Á"Yes. But the tales of my travels are for another day." he turned to Chantal. Kolbl did the same arm greeting to Jareth and Teh're when he came around the table. He made his way to his seat next to Teh're, he limped slightly on his left side, Chantal noticed. He was then introduced to Chantal and informed of the unconscious girl in the other room.

Á  ÁThe Elder looked her over a second time and nodded to himself.  
"Is she from the mortal realm?" Jareth nodded a reply. "I've never seen one so far from your castle. Interesting indeed." he turned back to the Goblin King. "Please, tell me the events that took place today so I may fully understand."

Á  Á"I see." Kolbl said, peering over his steepled fingers. It did not take long to give him both versions of what happened; Jareth had also mentioned how he had met both girls two years back and what has happened since then. "Truly remarkable." Kolbl smiled at Chantal who in turn smiled back. "I knew you had travellers but I've never thought they would try and take over your kingdom."

Á  Á"Well I didn't think they would have access to magyks." JarethÔh)000°°Ô replied. Teh're smirked.

Á  Á"I wonder if she got a hold of a crystal, other than the one you had given them, like that young fellow." The medallion that he wore glinted in the dim light. "I don't suppose the crystals were missing because of negligence." he looked up at Jareth. The Goblin King gave him a look. "Or, that someone is in fact bent on overthrowing Jareth." Kolbl continued.

Á  Á"Paul did mention that a locked box had vanished off the desk in the King's study. I wonder if it was locked for a reason and if it actually was in Jareth's possession in the first place; and failed when Paul was either unable to open it or to come across it." Chantal mused.

Á  Á"So, unable to perform its purpose, the box moved on to find another suitable, let's say 'host?'" Teh're continued to voice Chantal's thoughts.

Á  Á"Exactly!" Chantal exclaimed. "Lately we've been around Jareth and who would have suspected that one of us could start an attack."

Á  Á"Who would be behind all this? Why not attack me themselves instead of using people like puppets?" the Goblin King asked, half annoyed with the unknown accomplices.

Á  Á"Perhaps they enjoy toying with you." Kolbl replied.

Á  ÁJareth almost snorted. "What a waste of both of our time."

Á  ÁKolbl seemed to smile at that remark of impatience. Jareth tried to cross his arms over his chest but he was wincing too much and finally gave up.

Á  Á"Would you like more water Shaan' tal?" Kolbl said, slowly enunciating around the mortal names. Chantal nodded, not seeming to mind. "Er, back to how you've stopped Stef' hanee," He filled Chantal's goblet and passed Jareth's back, filled with more of the red liquid. He gestured for the king to drink. "I am quite impressed how you've managed to merge two spell binds in order to stop her. But what I wonder why she still has magyk aura surrounding her?" he said as the others looked at the wall where Stephanie lay on the other side. "It is faint but it's there."

Á  Á"Do you suppose I haven't been able to counter the spell"  
Jareth asked.

Á  Á"It is a possibility." Teh're voiced Kolbl's reply.

Á  Á"I'll know for certain when I inspect her. I do no think once we remove the cast that she'll start attacking again. She might return to normal, if not it will take her a while to build up her strength for another battle. With the inspection I'll mayhaps learn what aura encircling her and with luck, who is beind this." heÔh)000°°Ô finished. "But until then, I suggest you two rest." he pointed to Jareth and Chantal, as a parent to a child. "You've had a very eventful day. Do no worry Teh're and I shall watch over Stef'© hanee."

Á  ÁJareth was about to protest but the suggestion was too inviting to pass up. He slowly got up and followed Teh're outside;  
Chantal nodded to Kolbl before rising to her feet.

Á  ÁKolbl had stopped at the doorway and wished them a goodnight sleep. He then turned around and gave a long curious glance at the unconscious girl.

* * *

Á  ÁChantal awoke to the smell of freshly baked bread. 

Á  Á"Mmm," she said half sleepily. 'Mom must have made some bread for breakfast,' she thought as she stretched and sat up in bed. She then realized that she was in her street clothes; tan jeans and a violet shirt; and she remembered where she was. She was sore and a few of her muscles ached but probably not as much as Jareth. She smiled at that thought. 'Poor Jareth,' she thought.

Á  ÁShe got up and walked over to a mirror that stood by the doorway. There was a water basin on the table, sitting next to it was a pitcher filled with water. She washed up and frowned at her curly hair, it didn't want to be tamed today and she didn't have her usual hair stuff with her other than an elastic which she used to tie her hair into a low ponytail. She headed out to see what was for breakfast. Whatever it was mixed with the smell of bread, smelt good.

Á  ÁTeh're came around to see if she was up. She had just finished eating the last of a soft sweet bread. He had wanted to know if she wanted to enjoy the scenery or to join him as he assisted Kolbl.  
She said she was going to take a walk, being too soon after eating and that she'll join them soon. Teh're had left with a quick farewell.

Á  ÁGetting up she thanked the Lanei'n woman and vanished in the room she stayed to prepare her stuff, and finally stepped outside and into the bright warm sun.

Á  ÁIt was not long before she fell in love with the scenery; the trees were lush and bright, the sun was warm upon her skin and little spryte children were following her, mostly chattering in their language and pointing to Serek or her shoes. She was giggling. 'Those ears,' she thought smiling.

Á  ÁThe walk was quite wonderful and the village was extraordinary. She had time to clear her head but she needed to getÔh)000°°Ô back and see what progress they had done. Not to mention that soon they would need to head back home.

Á  ÁReaching, Kolbl's home, she figured, she knocked on the wall next to the cloth doorway before entering. She had to let her eyes adjust in the semi bright room.

Á  Á"Ah Shaan' tal." Kolbl said as she made her way to the main room. She saw that they had placed Stephanie onto the table. Teh're was on one side, eyes closed and seemed to be chanting softly.  
Kolbl informed her that there was no room for them to break the barrier in the tiny bedroom. "And I might need your assistance as well," he smiled.

Á  Á"Sure," Chantal said as she was instructed to stand near Stephanie's feet. She was then handed an jade amulet.

Á  Á"Hold this and read the counter spell, it will help us since it's a tad tricky to decipher." Kolbl smiled again and pointed to a small sheet of yellow paper next to Stephanie's heel before returning on the other side of the table. She read the words aloud.

Á  Á"Not quite." Kolbl chuckled softly. "The pronounciation is a little off but good nevertheless. It's: 'A' arth'o nea'h ah'tÀ)À"  
he finished. "Now you try."

Á  ÁChantal repeated, slowly at first then managed to do it without the paper. "Very good. Repeat it every other few minutes or so and clear your mind of thought other than those words. I do wish I had more time to instruct you further but we cannot let her stay in this confined cast."

Á  Á"Okay." she started concentrating and slowly chanted in a half whisper, in tune with Teh're. Kolbl, she noticed, had his hands out towards the girl, fingers frozen in a casting gesture.

Á  ÁA few minutes seem to pass before Kolbl sighed almost wearily.  
"This is ridiculous! I think he mixed some other one as well. One of his inventions no doubt." he told no one in particular. He told Teh're to stop and take a break. The sun had disappeared from the room since Chantal had seen it last. She noticed that it was late afternoon.

Á  Á"Already?" she mentioned this finding to Teh're.

Á  Á"Yes." he chuckled. "I have not noticed either until you have mentioned it to me."

Á  Á"Where is Jareth? Shouldn't he be well rested by now?" Kolbl asked Teh're.

Á  Á"I believe he is still sleeping," Teh're avoiding Kolbl's glare.  
Ôh)000°°ÔŒÁ  Á"That boy!" Kolbl muttered and shook his head. "I think he knew he would have to help us so he slept in. Bah!" he chuckled as he exited and was heading towards one of the cabins. It was amusing that he kept referring Jareth to a younger epithet.

Á  Á"Some things never change." Teh're laughed.

Á  Á"Really?" Chantal laughed.

Á  Á"Normally he's not that lazy but sometimes he's just as terrible as a child. I remember when we had lessons, he would always procrastinate, most of the times it was just to annoy Kolbl." Just at that moment, the Goblin King rushed in, holding his shirt and jacket.

Á  Á"For bloody hell!" he barked.

Á  Á"Some things never change," Teh're repeated for Jareth. The Goblin King amidst putting on his shirt, gave a sheepish grin.  
Chantal giggled. It was still strange to see him smiling.

Á  ÁTeh're told him that they were having difficutly cracking the barrier. "I thought Kolbl would have managed by now." Jareth told him.

Á  Á"It would seem you've added more elements to the cast." Kolbl informed from the doorway. "Another bad habit." he added. To Chantal, it looked like Jareth had rolled his eyes. She held in a giggle.

Á  Á"Would you mind helping us Jareth, hmm?" Kolbl asked.

Á  Á"Yes, yes." Jareth mumbled, deciding to leave his jacket open.  
He then stood near Kolbl and thought for a moment about how to remove the barrier. "I am ready." he said at last.

Á  ÁMoments passed as they tried several incantations. Then for the longest time, the group was silent again. Teh're said a few words and the reaction on their faces proved that it was slowly working.

Á  ÁA small groan was heard and Stephanie slowly sat up. She winced in pain and automatically grabbed her arm where it was bandaged. Her eyes were open, and were back to their usual brown color, and she was now looking around confused. She suddenly felt all her aches. She stiffened where she sat.

Á  Á"Where am I?" her voice was low. She blinked curiously at the three men who were concentrating.

Á  Á"Hey Steph. Feeling alright?" Chantal asked. Her friend glanced in her direction.Ôh)000°°ÔŒ™Á  Á"So ©© sort of," Stephanie nodded.

Á  Á"You're in Ke'l; a village not too far from the Labyrinth.  
Right now, Kolbl, Teh're and Jareth here, are trying to rid of a barrier surrounding you that Jareth had placed to stop you from attacking again." Chantal explained.

Á  Á"Oh." Stephanie said then quickly turned to Chantal again.  
"Um, why remove it?"

Á  Á"From my understanding is that you're not going or be able to cause any more damage." Chantal replied.

Á  Á"Ah." Her mouth was dry but she waited for the three men to finish before asking for anything. She thoughtfully examined the new beings, as well as her surroundings. 'Elves. Wycked!' she thought. She pointed to her own ears and Chantal nodded excitedly.

Á  ÁA few minutes passed by. The air suddenly rushed in her ears Ô ‰?Ø Ôcausing her hearing to be muffled.Á-Á

Á  Á"It is done." the Elder said.

Á  Á"Ow!" Stephanie winced.

Á  Á"What is it?"

Á  Á"My ears popped." Stephanie replied, pulling at her ears.

Á  Á"Oh!" Chantal giggled. Stephanie made herself sit at the end of the table so that her legs were hanging over the edge. She let out a half squeal, half gasp.

Á  Á"What is it now?" Jareth admonished.

Á  ÁStephanie was trying to cover herself and kept pulling the skirt of the dress over her knees, even though it was long and went past her ankles. "I'm in a dress." It was something that she was not used to, she had become rebellious when she reached the half point of grade school to wear any more dresses, much to her mother's disappointment.

Á  Á"Is that all?" Jareth snorted, half annoyed. He grabbed a chair and sat down, lightly looking her over.

Á  Á'I could see why he's annoyed with me right now,' Stephanie thought. She was then introduced properly to Teh're and Kolbl.  
"Hello." she greeted.

Á  Á"Welcome back Steph." Chantal said with a smile.

Á  Á"Thanks." Stephanie was handed the strange brew.

Á  ÁKolbl came next to her. "I know it's a bit sudden to ask butÔh)000°°Ô can you help us understand what has happened? Tell us your side of the events taken place, so we can know what we're up against."

Á  Á"All right." Stephanie nodded. She took a sip of the herb mixed water, did an odd face but her aches started to dull down and she finished the drink. Once she was ready, she stared down at the empty earthenware cup in her hands. "It's still a bit hazy but here I go." she took a deep breath.

Á  Á"I remember finishing class, when are we? ©© the day before ª© I got home, talked to my landlady who I don't mind usually but I really wanted to get my work done and I finally got to my basement apartment. I ate a bit, got my assignments ready and worked on it till late. I started nodding off and I think I fell asleep at the coffee table." she paused. "Next thing I knew I was in a cave or something, a dark place with barely any natural light, and I was walking; I didn't know where I was or where I was going but it felt like I needed to go in a certain direction. At first I thought that I was dreaming or sleepwalking, I've done it in the past, once or twice; but it didn't feel like it at all. I was completly aware.

Á  Á"I had a crystal in my hand and I thought it was the one Jareth had given Chantal and I to travel from both realms. Suddenly I felt angry ©© which is rare cause I usually get annoyed before I get to angry ©© and was getting ideas to take over the Labyrinth,  
the castle and to get rid of those who stood in my way. Anyone.  
That also meant the ruler, Jareth. It was thrilling and it felt like, I don't know why, some sort of adrenaline running in my veins. I can't really explain." she took a last look in the cup before setting it aside and placing her hands on her lap, her fingers had gripped a few small folds of her skirt. "I don't mean it was thrilling beating the hell out of Jareth or anything like that." she laughed almost nervously.

Á  Á"We understand." Kolbl said. Jareth muttered something under his breath. Kolbl gave him a look. "Please continue."

Á  Á"Yes, please do go on." Teh're gave her a small smile.

Á  Á"How did you get to the castle from this, dark place?" Jareth asked, forgetting his grudge.

Á  Á"I think it was the same way with the crystal. I remember appearing in what looked like one section of the Labyrinth but more around the outer walls. I remember attacking the place and destroying the few buildings there ©© gods! Was anyone hurt"  
Alarmed, she turned to Kolbl and then to Jareth.

Á  Á"Luckily they were out or gone in hiding, out of harm's way"  
Jareth said.

Á  Á"I'm glad." she breathed out in relief. "As I was saying, I was attacking these buildings and homes, attacking with powers?  
How did I get that?" she looked up from her clenched hands again.Ôh) 000°°ÔŒ™Á  Á"We're not quite sure." Teh're replied. "That's what we're trying to find out with some clues from you."

Á  ÁStephanie nodded. "I was then in the throne room, basically threatening those who would oppose me or else..." she trailed off.  
"Threatened them more with worse punishement than the Bog of Eternal Stench."

Á  Á"There were a few minor injuries to a few inhabitants, nothing more. Nothing too serious." Kolbl reassured.

Á  Á"Heh." Jareth cleared his throat. Teh're chuckled. Stephanie was almost embarrassed, she clenched more of her skirt in her hands; it was quite difficult to find a way to apologize for attempt of assassination, especially a King.

Á  Á"Not too long after that, I noticed Chantal and Jareth travelling through the Labyrinth. At first I toyed with them, by hiding shortcuts and creating puzzles. I was in misdst of expanding my attacks and I couldn't be bothered by them just yet. Once they arrived at the castle, I was ready to get rid of Jareth by all means and the rest you probably know."

Á  ÁKolbl nodded. "Yes. However, what made you take action to strike at Jareth?"

Á  Á"I've had a few frustrations at the time and a few that resurfaced, but that's hardly any excuse. I just felt that taking my bottled up emotions on him was a good start ©©"

Á  Á"Oh thanks ©©" Jareth muttered.

Á  Á"©© and filled with some sort of power, I was able to accomplish anything. No one would be able to stop me. To forget my life back home, I suppose." she unclenched her hands finally and lightly flexed her fingers. "I'm not very good at explaining."

Á  Á"Quite all right." Kolbl said patting her hand. "One more thing, were you aware that someone was controlling you? Telling you to do these things?"

Á  ÁStephanie's eyes narrowed in thought. "No," she replied slowly. "I was not told to do anything...but...I did hear whispers when I was in that cave."

Á  Á"What was said?" Jareth asked. Stephanie was silent for a long time.

Á  ÁShe frowned. "I ©© I don't remember." she shook her head.

Á  Á"You've been helpful. Thank you." Kolbl said.

Á  Á"I wish I could remember more." Stephanie frowned.  
Ôh)000°°ÔŒÁ  Á"Let us know if you do remember anything else."

Á  ÁThe girl nodded.

Á  Á"It's good to have you back to your normal self." Chantal hugged her friend. Serek chirped in Stephanie's ear.

Á  Á"Bob says so too." Stephanie smiled.

* * *

Á  Á"Yes. It is indeed a mystery." 

Á  Á"From what you have infromed us of this mortal, this girl from the other realm was given powers? For what purpose?" a deeper voice than Kolbl's boomed.

Á  Á"Other than treason or warfare against the King is uncertain.  
I believe this might be a start of something." Kolbl informed the figures in the large mirror. The figures' faces were shrouded in shadows, for a fire burned behind them.

Á  Á"I suggest we keep an eye on this mortal and on things surrounding the events taken place before their arrival to this realm." another voice said, a bit rougher than the other.

Á  Á"Yes." Kolbl responded.

Á  Á"I shall watch over the girl." the Goblin King said, he was standing next to Kolbl.

Á  Á"Indeed." another said. "And we will hear of your progress and reports."

Á  Á"Of course." Jareth nodded. He kept his anger in check. He simply abhor when the Elders spoke to him like one of their assistants.

Á  Á"Have you done an analysis on the origin of where her powers had come from?" a female voice said, nearing the mirror.

Á  Á"Not yet. I'm letting the girl rest a bit bef ©©"

Á  Á"Kolbl as we understand, we need to make haste if a similar problem should arise." the female of the group continued.

Á  Á"I agree, however she still has gone through something that she is not used to; I am surprised that her body was capable of withstanding the power that was given to her."

Á  Á"That does not explain your incompetence ©©"

Á  Á"I had asked him to let her rest before putting her throughÔh)000°°Ô one of the examinations you wish to have." Jareth said, his tone full of authority. He had had enough of them butchering Kolbl's explanations.

Á  Á"Forgive us M'Lord." the group bowed as one.

Á  Á"We shall give you our results when we have completed this task." Jareth continued, dismissing their courtious gesture. "We shall give you the results in due time. Do I make myself clear?"

Á  Á"Yes of course, your Majesty." a man with slick back black and white hair said. He had come closer to the mirror and the Goblin King could fully see his cold grey eyes.

Á  Á"Good." Jareth said. "We are finished here." He waved his hand and the image in the mirror faded in a bluish haze. He stood there,  
fuming silently. "They are forgetting their place." he said as Kolbl turned around.

Á  Á"When one voices their opinions, it isn't long before others join in." Kolbl said. "They forget sometimes. Perhaps had gotten overexcited with news."

Á  Á"I've great respect for them but lately ... I just hope they will not defy me. I will be forced to use drastic actions." He clenched his hands. " And I still do not like that ThanÀ)À character."

Á  Á"He's like the stepmother from fairytales, the protagonist never do like them." Kolbl chuckled. Jareth's mood lightened a bit.  
"Well now, back to business. I would rather wait for her to rest before I perform any exams but I suppose the sooner the better to avoid arguments."

Á  ÁThe Goblin King sighed wearily and nodded. "I hope she feels up to it. The analysis is all right but I hope we find out what's going on before we perform any tests," he trailed off.

Á  Á"I'll keep it to a minimum." Kolbl patted Jareth on his good shoulder.

* * *

Á  ÁStephanie had been hanging around the village, talking very little with Chantal or anyone else, mostly keeping to herself until it didn't feel as awkward. She had been given the chance to change and clean up a bit. She was now wearing a pair of brown breeches and a light grey shirt that was a little too long for her but she kept the shirt hanging over her waist. Her bandaged arms were covered in the folds of the sleeves. She had soft leather boots that reached her knees. 

Á  ÁShe was sitting under a tree, poking the ground with a smallÔh)  
000°°Ô branch. She glanced up when her name was called. She got up to her feet and dusted her new clothes from the dirt. She asked the reason why she was being summoned.

Á  Á"Already?"

Á  Á"Please?" Kolbl asked.

Á  Á"All right." Stephanie slowly replied and started to follow the Elder. Chantal wanted to know what was going on.

Á  Á"We're going to run the tests now. Kolbl would like to see you as well." Teh're turned to Chantal.

Á  Á"Me?" Chantal asked confused. "Well, as long as it's safe"  
Á  Á Á  Á"This" way," Kolbl instructed the girls to enter the familiar hut. Teh're and Chantal were left outside at Kolbl's request.

Á  ÁStephanie sat down. "So how is this going to be?" she asked.

Á  Á"It won't be painful if that's what you're thinking. It will determine how all this started. It'll help us find the missing pieces from your story." explained Jareth.

Á  ÁThat didn't convince her nerves. She knew it wouldn't hurt it was this feeling she had, perhaps of what they would find. With the explanation she received last night from all sides and her own, she knew that she was given powers and used like a puppet. There was no need to prove it any further. She was worried on how they would find out and if whoever was giving these powers would decided to take this moment to take her over again; or that they will find nothing to help them out in the end.

Á  Á"Now, take a deep breath and clear your mind." started Kolbl.  
Stephanie sighed deeply and listened to his instructions. Soon she felt as though she was in a trance but was half aware of her surroundings. Her eyes lowered a bit in her state. He asked questions as before and received the same answers; she had no recollection of what happened before she turned or the how.

Á  ÁKolbl held his hands out and muttered under his breath,  
something even Jareth couldn't catch; it sounded foreign even to him.

Á  Á A soft breeze started, not only were they inside but the way the wind blew the strands of their hair, it was impossible with the direction the wind was blowing outside. Stephanie's hair started to flow, just the smallest strands. The vials and bowls started to shake, a small rumbling was heard and then the ground started to shake. Stephanie slowly blinked.

Á  ÁSuddenly Kolbl was pushed back by a short force and was thrown against the wall with a loud thump, rattling a few objects andÔh)  
000°°Ô knocked a few fragile vials to the ground. Jareth had no time to react and stop the throw.

Á  ÁTeh're flew in and demanded to know what happened; he was followed by an alarmed Chantal and a few gasping sprytes who chattered concerned as they helped Kolbl to his feet.

Á  Á"She is strong indeed." Kolbl laughed once on his feet. He shooed the fretting sprytes away. "I'm fine Teh're." he brushed his clothes of the dust the floorboards had hidden. "It took a bit of my strength and a revealing cast or two to slightly awaken the power that was given to her to unearth any answers. Curiousity got the best of me." he chuckled.

Á  Á"Don't do it again old man." Jareth said, he had managed to cross his arms. Kolbl only chuckled once more.

Á  ÁThings continued to rattle upon the shelves and the table.  
Kolbl then became aware of what was happening and quickly resumed his casting pose, muttering a few strange words.

Á  ÁStephanie woke up with a start, her eyes widened and then she looked around. "Sorry." she said, slightly embarrassed to be on edge.

Á  ÁKolbl by this time had composed himself. He finally ushered the curious and worried sprytes from the large window and turned to the small group. Once he was satisfied that no one was eavesdropping, he said. "I've made a few discoveries. But I'm afraid that finding who is behind this is not one of them."

Á  ÁEveryone muttered or sighed in their disappointment.

Á  Á"However," Kolbl continued and the group fell silent. "She was being controlled somehow. But there was no help in this attack other than being 'ordered' to attack."

Á  Á"Like brainwashed?" Chantal said.

Á  ÁKolbl thought around the word before replying. "Yes."

Á  Á"So what are you saying?" Jareth asked.

Á  Á"The powers are hers and hers alone."

* * *

* * *

What! I have powers? Holy peaches Batman:lol:  
This was the longest chapter in this Part. I didn't want to put too much about the Elders in here. I also caught myself repeating things and replies but I've managed to reduce the repetative speeches; let me know if I still repeated myself. 


	14. Feel The Mystical

Chapter Thirteen: Feel the Mystical

* * *

Á  Á"WHAT!" the group exclaimed at once. Kolbl repeated his discovery. 

Á  Á"That is preposterous!" Jareth said starting to pace.

Á  Á"Is it?" Kolbl asked. "It is not uncommon that mortals possess magyks and powers of their own."

Á  Á"But not from the other realm, not of this extent. How can this be?" the Goblin King had sharply stopped his pacing.

Á  Á"Through blood lines perhaps?" Chantal asked.

Á  Á"Wouldn't I know about it somehow? Or remember something"  
Stephanie said. "Or someone would have noticed sooner?"

Á  Á"Perhaps it was meant for you to live a 'normal' life; in case something like this would happen." Teh're suggested.

Á  Á"Please, this sounds more like a fairytale or a book I've read." Stephanie said. "Seriously, my parents are certainly not magical beings and I'm pretty sure that if I 'was' adopted, there would be too much paperwork and made up crap to go through like pictures and stories, memories; my mother had a difficult delivery." She felt excited and confused all at once.

Á  Á"In that case, perhaps a memory is hidden on how this all came to be; either by something that was shocking or the memory was too subtle to remember; even unknown to your parents." Kolbl sat down and steepled his fingers, resting his elbows on the table.

Á  Á"At least that's more believable. But it doesn't explain the 'how'." Stephanie said.

Á  ÁThe group was silent as they thought of the possibilities.

Á  Á"Is there any way to find out?" Chantal asked, finishing feeding Serek from a bag of cookies.

Á  Á"Hypnosis is one alternative. We can prod for the hidden memories; although the test I did today was close and that was a bit too compelling. The other is to research for a bloodline crossover or something similiar; but if it comes to finding nothing we might have to go with the hypnosis." Kolbl suggested.

Á  Á"It'll help us get somewhere." Chantal nodded.

Á  Á"This is just too weird to take in," Stephanie muttered. She had grabbed her loose hair and brought it over her shoulder where she twisted the ends, almost nervously. She had lost her pendantsÔh)000°°Ô she usually toyed with when something bothered her or when she was lost in thoughts.

Á  Á"How long do you suppose these examinations will take?" the Goblin King asked.

Á  Á"There's no way to really tell; days, weeks, perhaps more."

Á  Á"Woah! Weeks?" Stephanie said, stopping her hand in mid twirl. "I hope it's off and on because I can't stay here too long.  
People might notice even with Jareth re©arranging time."

Á  Á"Quite right."

Á  Á"I agree." Jareth said, crossing his arms with another wince and leaned against the nearest wall.

Á  Á"What about in our realm? Is there a chance that they will awaken in our realm?" Chantal asked curiously. Serek chirped.

Á  Á"I doubt it." Jareth replied. "Although I am able to use my own in your realm but with strange things happening, it could be a possibility."

Á  Á"However, I believe there is no danger for her powers to be manipulated. They have become dormant." Kolbl said.

Á  Á"So with these tests I'm going to take and these researches,  
what's going to happen to me?" Stephanie asked, seeming a little worried.

Á  Á"I'm not quite sure." Jareth replied. "Depending on results and what the Elders have to say."

Á  Á"We will keep an eye on you during your visits." Kolbl said,  
rising to his feet. Stephanie gave a worried glance. "Do not worry.  
We're not going to hound you and watch your every move." he laughed.

Á  Á"That's a relief. I just know when someone stares at me when I'm not looking."

Á  ÁTeh're smiled. "No need to be concerned. We might just stand aside during the test and the meetings, nothing more."

Á  Á"All right. That sounds good." Stephanie stood up and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. "As much as I love to stay here, we should be heading back. I've too much homework to finish and very little time."

Á  Á"It's your fault for deciding to attack my castle." Jareth said haughtigly.

Á  Á"I know. I should have done it next week instead." StephanieÔh)000°°Ô smirked. "I had days off then." she laughed.

Á  Á"I enjoy her sense of humor." Teh're chuckled. Kolbl laughed.

Á  Á"Feh." Jareth said but was smirking lightly. He then turned to Kolbl who continued to chuckle. "Are you going to look them over before they are sent home?"

Á  Á"Yes. Quickly, just to be on the safe side." Kolbl replied seriously.

Á  Á"Do we get sent home from here or do we have to go back to Jareth's castle?" Chantal said.

Á  Á"We are unable to send you home," Kolbl explained. "but if Jareth is too weak, we might be able to help him."

Á  Á"If we're unable to do so, you might have to return to the Labyrinth." Teh're continued. Chantal nodded.

Á  ÁKolb had looked at the sky momentarily and turned to the group. "I must do an analysis on you as well Shaan' tal before your departure. Afterwards, the day will be free to travel."

Á  Á"Why me?"

Á  Á"Not to worry. I just want to be certain." Kolbl smiled.

Á  Á"'Tay." Chantal replied.

Á  Á"Teh're," Kolbl started.

Á  Á"Yes?"

Á  Á"Have preporations for travel ready in case we are unable to carry on." Teh're nodded and quickly left the hut. "Now my dear,  
please have a seat."

* * *

Á  Á"Nothing." Kolbl announced. He stood up straight and Chantal got up from her chair, a little disappointed. Stephanie replaced her on the chair and went through another series of questions in the trance like state. No wind picked up this time and Kolbl was not thrown back. "Good." he said seeming satisfied with the results. "Very good."

Á  ÁTeh're had already returned from his task and stood silently watching. He lightly elbowed Jareth. "Luckily for you Jareth that not everyone who traverses your Labyrinth becomes endowned with powers." he chuckled.

Á  Á"I do not even want to imagine that." Jareth shuddered. Teh're was clearly amused by his friend's reaction.Ôh)000°°ÔŒ™Á  Á"I don't want to push for memories yet. For now this will do"  
Kolbl said as he led everyone outside. The other Elders will have to be satisfied for the time being with what he had. He nodded to himself. "Some interesting news, if you will." he said once outside. "It's true that I had found nothing with Shaan'tal, I'm sorry ©©" he gave the girl a small smile. "©© but for Stef' hanee,  
either it must be some forgotten event in her past or through bloodlines." he then turned to Jareth. "Wouldn't you remember much better than she?"

Á  ÁJareth snorted and laughed. "You're not serious! Do you not remember several years ago when I've lost count how many travellers I've had in my Labyrinth? Some all at once? It was pandemonium!" he shook his head at the memory. "How do you expect me to remember 'one' certain encounter in all that mayhem? If there even was one."

Á  Á"He's right. It must be hard to remember all those people"  
Chantal countered. Supposing the visitor boost was due to Sarah's tale and encounter known to the mortal world.

Á  Á"It'll take time." Teh're agreed. "Now then, I do believe it's time to send these girls home."

Á  Á"Yes." Jareth nodded.

Á  Á

Á  Á"I'm not able on my own yet." Jareth informed the group after standing in silence for a few moments.

Á  Á"Then let us try to send them with Teh're and I channeling our strength to you who will concentrate on the girls' locations." All three men took deep breaths and concentrated. Moments passed and Jareth shook his head.

Á  Á"I am not able. I need a better anchor."

Á  Á"Then it's settled. You must return to you castle. Unfortunate we were unable to help." Kolbl said.

Á  Á"Quite all right. You've helped plenty." Jareth smiled. He then pointed towards their transportation; Jareth's horses; he didn't want to 'borrow' one of the village's horses for a one way trip but he was thankful nevertheless for the suggestion. He quickly got on with a wince as he was informed of the provisions and medicinal supplies that his horses carried. He held out his good arm to Stephanie before Chantal could ask with whom her friend would ride with. The Goblin King helped the girl onto the horse;  
she put her foot in one stirrup to aid him, so that she was seated behind him; behind the saddle.

Á  Á"Hold on, but not too tightly." he told her, refreshng her memory of his injuries. She nodded. He turned to Chantal and waited until she was ready.Ôh)000°°ÔŒ™Á  Á"I must thank you." he turned to Teh're and Kolbl.

Á  Á"You must remember to visit more often, and when things are not in disorder, hmm?"

Á  Á"Yes." chuckled Jareth. "Teh're." His friend nodded to the farewell. Jareth clicked his tongue and the horses began to trot.

* * *

Á  Á"Guys?" Chantal said as they passed the main route and out of the forest. The Labyrinth was in full view. The sun was hours away from setting. The horses were not quite side by side. "I was thinking," she continued before the others asked of what. "about all this. I think that I should stay home from now on." 

Á  Á"What?" Stephanie said as Jareth raised an eyebrow quizzically.

Á  Á"Well, with this new adventure starting, I'm not sure I'll be much help."

Á  Á"That's not true." Stephanie replied.

Á  Á"What I meant is," Chantal trailed off. "I have no real abilities like Steph. ©© let me finish ©© I'm all right when it comes to solving problems and riddles but this kind of excitment is too much for me." She paused. "And besides, having double lives is confusing."

Á  Á"I understand." Jareth slowly replied. "It is your choice,  
nonetheless you're always welcomed to my realm."

Á  Á"Thanks." Chantal smiled.

Á  Á"It's not going to be the same," Stephanie finally said,  
slowly smiling as well.

Á  Á"That's for sure. A lot less hectic." Jareth smirked.  
Stephanie lightly squeezed his sides with her arms, causing him to cough. Chantal giggled.

Á  Á"Remember what I said." Jareth said as all three beings stood by a large clear globe within the King's study.

Á  Á"I will." Chantal nodded. "So it's all okay when I get back home? I won't have worried people?" she asked.

Á  Á"All arranged. They never knew you were missing. You might feel odd for a bit until you get settled back in."

Ôh)000°°ÔŒÁ  Á"Okay. That's good." Serek chirped. "Wait! What about Serek?"

Á  Á"He belongs with you." the Goblin King scratched Serek under his chin. "I have no problem giving him up." he smiled. Chantal hugged her appreciation. "Yes, well time to end this adventure." he said, lightly hugging her back; mortal emotions he still hasn't gotten used to. Chantal then stood next to Stephanie. "Concentrate on home as before."

Á  ÁChantal waved goodbye to the Goblin King as she vanished.  
Serek chirped happily.

Á  Á"See you on the other side Chan." Stephanie said and turned to Jareth. "Um, about all the damaged I've caused..." she trailed off,  
the silence between them was still awkward.

Á  Á"Don't worry about it." Jareth sighed. "Things needed to be...redecorated." he smiled.

Á  Á"I also meant you."

Á  Á"I know it was not your intentions to really harm anyone,  
including me; I hope. You weren't yourself at the time, luv."

Á  Á"I know. But it wasn't like ©© it was myself, I mean, I was completly aware..." the girl trailed off again and looked down. "I could have seriously hurt you guys, or worse."

Á  ÁJareth raised an eyebrow. "You mean you could've hurt me more than that?" he asked.

Á  Á"It felt like I could," Stephanie replied.

Á  Á"Bloody hell!" the Goblin King said with a chuckle. Seeing how upset she was feeling, he said. "It takes more than a few injuries like that to stop me." he smiled.

Á  Á"Thanks." the girl smiled. "I should get going then. See you later Jareth." Then she too vanished.

Á  ÁThe Goblin King sighed as he wondered how he was going to fix his throne room and the new additions to his Labyrinth. A lot of work indeed. He sighed again and sat down upon a chair. He wondered what events will happen next.

* * *

Á  Á"'Although my stay at Ke'l, the elven village was short, it was quite fascinating and is another wonderful memory of the fantasy world that I'll get to keep. And as much as I'll miss our adventures and Jareth, who has become a friend, I'm rather glad that I can continue with my 'normal' life"  
Ôh)000°°ÔŒ™Á  Á"Well, sort of." she laughed, scratching her dragon companion under his chin.

Á  ÁSerek quietly chirped.

Á  ÁÁÁChantal set her pen down and stretched as not to move too far away from her comfty bed to put her notebook she used to write down important messages or events, away. She smiled.

Á  Á"Crazy adventures indeed." she said. "Eh boy?"

* * *

* * *

Okay. I tried my best to give Chantal a good ending. I just hope it was all right with everyone. I made it flow as smoothly as I can.  
Serek/Bob does not belong to me, so I figured it was only right for her to keep him. So please don't be annoyed by has happened between Chantal and I. Thank you. 


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue

"So that is your result?" one of the members of the Elders said. He was the only one that stood in front of the mirror. "Continue to keep us informed Kolbl. I will relay the message to the others of your progress."

"Of course. As you continue to inform me and the King of your breakthroughs." replied Kolbl.

"Yes." the Elder said. Kolbl's image vanished and he was left to contemplate. "Interesting." the Elder said. "I wonder how far this girl will prosper." he tapped his lips in thought. "And how long before she loses control or be pressured to join a darker force. It will not be long before word reaches to others across the realm."

Movement caught his eye. He turned around with a flow of his red robes. A raven had scattered smaller birds when it took off the window's ledge and was heading towards an unknown destination.

O O O O O O

-- Finished December 23 2004 -  
-- Corrected typed version March 2 2005 --

Garm! Finally finished! It took a while but hey it's done. Please let me know what you think.  
I wanted to inform of a few things, like Jareth's language or others, are still wonky but eventually I'll keep track of what words are what in English, but right now I just write what comes to mind. Did anyone had trouble understanding the description of actions, puzzles and things? Let me know so I can fix the problem.  
Part IV and V are slowly in the works. And since I'm generous, I'll give you all a quick summery of Part IV, but I can be cruel.

THIRTEEN HOURS

-- A girl, Danyelle, makes a wish that alters the Labyrinth. To avoid the Goblin King's wrath, she has thirteen hours to set things right. Will she be able to get help and finish in time? -- 


End file.
